• by Wayne Friedman , 6 hours ago

The average gap between new seasons of ongoing TV series in major streaming platforms continues to rise dramatically, according to Ampere Analysis -- now at almost two years.

An analysis of 1,611 scripted original shows on premium streamers found viewers waited an average of 21 months between new seasons -- up from the 16-month waiting period in 2022.

The list of streamers for the analysis includes Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount+, and Peacock.

But the good news is that the research group says that longer gaps between seasons can lead to higher engagement -- as seen with Apple TV’s “Severance” and Netflix’s “Wednesday,” for which viewership almost doubled. Those scripted shows had gaps of more than 30 months between seasons.

This occurred with Netflix’s biggest show “Stranger Things,” where viewing for its fifth and final season rose by 300%.

The downside comes with churn -- cancellation of streaming subscriptions. In the first quarter of this year, 54% of respondents said they would cancel a service if they were not using it enough. That comes between periods when subscribers of streamers are waiting for their favorite shows to return.

Longest stretches between seasons come with sci-fi/fantasy series, which involved pricey and productions with high tech -- although audiences are still loyal upon their returns, and in re-viewing older seasons.

However, engagement among expected returning comedy TV series can be weaker.

"Many original shows build highly dedicated audiences that remain loyal despite increasingly long waits between seasons,” says Christen Tamisin, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis. “However, streamers need to balance blockbuster production timelines against a steady flow of content.”