We’re excited to announce we’re partnering with Variety to bring readers Roku Search, which will reveal streamers’ top searches on Roku each month.
Streamers are turning to Roku to explore movies, series, current events, personalities, and more. We know brands win when they capture what is at the top of consumers’ minds, that’s why we’ve pulled the top trends from our user search data.
Here are the trends that stood out in April:
1. Users turned to Roku after the Academy Awards
One week after the Academy Awards ceremony, Roku user searches for winning titles and talent were seven times higher than it had been the week before nominations were announced.
Some films saw especially large increases:
- “CODA” – Searches jumped after the film was nominated and, for the most part, continued to climb at a steady pace, soaring 127% after receiving a best picture nod and 19-fold one week after winning when compared to pre-nomination numbers.
- “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” – The best documentary winner saw an eight-fold increase in search interest compared with the pre-nomination period, and a 234% surge the week after its win.
- “King Richard” – Searches were already high before the nominations and more than doubled in the week following the show.
- “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” – This film saw one of the biggest bumps, with interest increasing more than six-fold through award season, becoming the fourth most popular search. Interest jumped a further 149% during the week following the show.
2. Interest spiked in “Spider-Man” titles:
The online premiere of the hugely popular “Spider-Man: No Way Home” spiked interest in both that title, 2019’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home," and previous films from the “Spider-Man” series.
3. There was a seasonal surge for religious programming and family-friendly movies
Around the Easter holiday, streamers showed in increased interest in Christian programs such as “The Passion of the Christ” and “The Chosen,” a dramatic series about the life of Jesus Christ. Family films “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Sing 2” were popular searches among streamers.
Here are April’s top 10 searches on Roku:
What does Roku Search mean for advertisers?
It’s clear that during key cultural moments and important events, streamers turn to their TV to learn more. These search insights help advertisers better understand what's interesting to their audiences and what advertisement would resonate with them the most.
To read more about what streamers searched in April on Roku, read Variety’s article here. To get more streaming insights from Roku, subscribe to our newsletter.
