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It’s no secret that prequels and reboots are hugely popular. From The Sopranos to The Lord of the Rings, the past two years have seen an incredible number of familiar stories told in new ways. Reboots allow much-loved stories to be retold in a present-day context while also creating nostalgia for earlier installments. Prequels meanwhile offer fresh backstories for characters we love.
How do these releases affect interest in the whole franchise? To better understand the connection, we looked at Roku search activity involving 11 reboots and prequels released in the last year and found that a franchise’s full catalog often benefits from the release of a prequel or reboot.
New titles benefit the entire franchise
Among the titles we looked at, week-over-week searches for the franchise increased by an average of 218% during the week of the new title release. Reboots saw the strongest search lift, driving a 300% increase in franchise searches.¹ iCarly led the way with a 391% week-over-week rise in searches and views during the release of the reboot. Similarly, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , The Wonder Years, Sex and the City, and Dexter all saw their search activity jump by over 300%.
Prequels and reboots bring new fans
While reboots and sequels attract built-in audiences who loved the originals, they also attract new viewers eager to see what the fuss is about. Those new viewers are likely to seek out original shows and films after seeing the newest iteration. In fact, Roku search and viewership data shows that many searches from people new to the franchise occurred after the new title was released. Dexter saw 70% of its searches coming from “new to franchise” accounts after the release of Dexter: New Blood.² That was followed by The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Wonder Years, iCarly, and The Sopranos saw lifts of over 50%.
The search lift triggered by new prequels and reboots isn’t always short-lived. It can last for weeks or months. Our research found that searches for franchise titles remained elevated for an average of 4.9 weeks following the new title’s premiere. Even 3 weeks after the premier, week-over-week searches were still up 30%.
Promote the entire franchise early and often
Our advice to marketers trying to reach streaming audiences with reboots and sequels is simple: Promote the entire franchise. Do it before the premier to drum up buzz. Do it at the end of a title’s run to keep them interested. Do it during a season to sustain momentum.
Pre-premiere
Immerse fans in the world of your franchise. Got a still image of young Tony Soprano or a teaser trailer of a new Star Wars? Share it online and watch the buzz ignite. Use “Binge” or “Watch Again” messaging to remind fans to relive the originals before the new series or film drop. Interactive vignettes, Roku Recommends, Roku specials, and video or display ads also create palpable excitement.
Premiere week
Drum up anticipation with tune-in reminders and high-impact advertising through Roku Spotlight, Roku Theme, or even takeovers on Premiere Day. Entice users to set reminders for the premiere date. In fact, 54% of Roku users appreciate reminders for upcoming events like new shows or movie releases.
In-season
Use tune-in reminders to point audiences to key moments of a season. That will drive viewership or entice them to catch up. Consider keeping your promotion for the franchise ongoing during the first few weeks of the new title’s release since interest for the franchise remains elevated during this time.
Post season
Mitigating streaming churn should be top-of-mind, particularly after people watch the new content. Internal Roku data shows that 28% of streaming service cancellations happened when users finished a TV show or movie that they wanted to watch. Promoting the original can give series fans something to fill the gap and prevent churn from the service. When they finish Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, promote the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy or The Hobbit films to keep them engaged.
Marketers can use these insights to their advantage, finding new audiences and re-engaging existing ones. It’s a reciprocal relationship. While the franchise’s full catalog benefits from a new release, the new release benefits from interest in the originals. It’s a win-win. With this strategy, marketers can broaden their fan base, reduce churn, and increase the likelihood of the success for reboots and prequels.
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¹ Select reboots and prequels from 2021 and 2022; Roku Internal Data 2022
² “New to franchise” is defined as individuals who did not search for any of the franchise titles since January 2020.
