• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, May 29, 2026

Does "engagement" have a connection with "viewing" when it comes to a TV or streaming show?

For a while now, senior TV streaming buying and selling executives have been saying the answer is no.

In recent earnings calls, Netflix and Walt Disney executives sharpened some of those definitions -- looking at different kinds of engagement.

“All hours of engagement are not the same, and we really care about the quality of that engagement,” said Greg Peters, co-CEO of Netflix, on a recent earnings conference call.

“Engagement is critical to reducing churn, [which] might be the most significant opportunity we have,” said Josh D’Amaro, the new CEO of Walt Disney on his company’s call with analysts.

They did not provide specific details -- and that may be the issue.

When it comes to viewership in this regard, platforms and advertisers consider not only eyes focused on a TV screen but also “engagement” -- a word that can indicate deeper attention and connection to content, from an emotional perspective.

Also significant in the analysis is whether a viewer completes a full season of a TV show, and whether their engagement will lead to buying products from brands that advertise in those shows.

Some analysis has been conducted to evaluate the overall "quality" of a streaming platform -- according to MoffettNathanson Research, reportedly.

Recently, MoffettNathanson noted that in terms of the best "quality" for a streaming platform, Disney+ was the leader, followed by HBO Max, Apple TV and Netflix.

The analysis included subscriber retention, price increases and advertising revenue and factors such as daypart viewership, content demand, franchise depth and whether a platform has sports and live events programming.

For viewers this goes deeper -- do they create some immediate, social-media buzz after watching? Are they active around their viewing?

That’s true engagement.

But the question going forward is whether there is a better overall standard measurement that can compare -- not just overall streaming platforms, but more granular results.

Perhaps better words are "active" or "passion" -- which could work well in tandem along with the industry’s current fascination with the word "fandom."