Reports

2025 marks the sixth year of Hub’s “Connected Home” tracking study. This research provides a broad look at the technology and devices in US households, as well as intentions to purchase new technology in the future.  Manufacturers are shifting into high gear with devices and applications to serve consumers that are “always connected” – to each other, and to entertainment content across a variety of platforms.

This year’s survey will capture the devices and technology consumers own, and which play the greatest role in their interaction with entertainment content:  consuming it, as well as controlling or discovering it.  We’ll also look at new entertainment tech just announced at CES to see which are most likely to “move the needle” in the coming year.

As part of the Entertainment & Technology Tracker series, this report will also include quarterly tracking questions about the home media technology landscape.

Since 2019, Hub’s Evolution of Video Branding study has tracked awareness and perceptions of brands across the TV ecosystem.

As we begin 2025, consumers still face a fragmented landscape of myriad streaming services and places to watch favorite TV shows, movies, sports and other programming.  2024 saw big growth in FAST services, new streaming bundles, and broader licensing of content across services as the industry faces pressure to improve profits.   As major streaming services push to broaden their content offerings, consumers must choose which services offer the most desirable programming at the right price.

In meeting the needs of consumers, providers will benefit most from driving awareness and interest in the attributes that make their services unique and most valuable.  Highlighting what makes their brands stand out from other services will be the key to their success:  exclusive content, library content, live sports, unique bundles, tailored subscription tiers, and more.

2025’s Evolution of Video Branding study will continue to track not just awareness of different platforms and streaming services, but also which service or brand attributes have had the strongest impact on consumers’ perceptions. Where available, trends with prior waves of the report will be shown.

The media industry is experiencing drastic disruption.  Consumer behavior is becoming much more unpredictable due to the introduction of streamers, user-generated content, and many other media to consume content.

However, it is a common belief that one content genre continues to drive passion and demand: sports.

What’s the Score? is Hub’s new exploration of how fans and consumers value sports – including sports-adjacent content.  It is clear that live sports have become the primary leverage point between broadcasters and distributors, guiding decisions of when to black out content during negotiations.  And although live games are typically the main appeal, leagues & broadcasters are continually innovating to reach broader audiences and maintain the value (e.g., Simpson’s live NFL game).  But what are the interest levels across alternative broadcasts, sports betting, podcasts, etc.?

More specifically, What’s the Score? aims to understand sports fandom vis-a-vis consumption platforms.  How ‘sticky’ is exclusive content on a platform for subscribers’ or viewers’ retention or acquisition?  How does it differ by the level of avidity per fan by league?  Does fragmentation impact the overall fan experience?

As rights continue to shift across broadcast, pay TV, streaming, and direct-to-consumer, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the value of sports content for all stakeholders.

Hub’s research will provide anyone who creates, distributes, and advertises on sports content with a deeper, more nuanced understanding of how much sports matter to your audience, and why.

Hub’s annual Video Redefined study puts TV and movie viewing in perspective with the increasingly powerful category of non-premium video, aka “social video” and other short-form or user-generated content.  Once considered a supplemental category of viewing, social video now comprises about a quarter of all video viewing time at places like YouTube and TikTok. With only so many hours in the day, Video Redefined explores how traditional long-form content co-exists with the many new ways to watch different kinds of content.

This study will continue to track the increased popularity of social video and non-premium content categories, including social video influencers and podcasts. Popular IP that spans across multiple platforms will allow us to explore how non-premium video can promote premium content on other platforms, including TV shows, movies and games.  Younger people have long been leaders in consuming short form and social video, and this study will highlight how viewing of non-TV-screen content varies by consumer segment.   Across platforms (TV, mobile, etc) and video content types, Video Redefined will identify the most popular types of non-premium content, how consumers are reacting to advertising on those platforms, and how consumption of this content may (or may not) be at the expense of other platforms.

This study helps our TV industry and advertising clients better understand both the challenges and opportunities of “off-TV-screen” content and how it can be leveraged to drive successful business strategies.

Today’s headlines about AI (Artificial Intelligence) are hardly a passing trend.  AI is rapidly changing the way people are interacting with entertainment and technology, and companies are embracing AI to streamline operations and improve efficiencies in producing, marketing and distributing content.

How much are consumers keeping up with AI?

Popular tools like OpenAI’s GPT-4 and DALL-E are being used to create images, music, scripts, games and fully realized ads and video content. The lines between “real” and “fake” are becoming even blurrier as post-production AI tools are enhancing not just backgrounds and environments, but character identities and storylines.  And how companies are using AI to better match viewers with the content they love – using AI algorithms and recommendations – are continuing to improve.

In this new report, Hub will explore how much people are aware of and understand what AI currently offers.  We will explore how people are currently using AI and their interest in interacting with other content and features powered by AI across the entertainment landscape.  Finally, we will analyze where the biggest opportunities (and challenges) lie in how AI can benefit studios, talent, distributors, and consumers.

As part of the Entertainment & Technology Tracker series, this report will also include quarterly tracking questions about the home media technology landscape.

Over the past few years, what would have once seemed unthinkable has become standard practice in the streaming video marketplace – virtually all subscription services have launched ad-supported offerings. As a result of formerly ad-free platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video rolling out ad-supported tiers, and free ad-supported streamers (FASTs) grow their reach, the vast majority of viewers are now watching ads when they stream video.

The Hub TV Advertising: Facts vs. Fiction study has consistently shown viewers are receptive to advertising, particularly when it saves them money on subscriptions. With monthly rate increases on the horizon, are viewers becoming more open to ad-supported options? How does the changing advertising landscape impact perceptions of streaming services and the ad experiences they offer?

• How has consumer acceptance of advertising in streaming content evolved over time?
• What is the average viewer’s awareness of the various free and tiered service offerings, and how do their perceptions vary by brand?
• What is the interplay between the ad experience and overall platform satisfaction and loyalty?
• What are the choice drivers between Live vs. On-Demand viewing, and how does ad acceptance vary across use cases?
• What advertising formats and features offer the best experiences in the minds of consumers?

The goal of the study is to help streaming services, media agencies, advertisers, and distributors better understand how to present advertising that enhances viewers’ engagement and satisfaction with the streaming video experience.