Fandom’s State of Fandom event takes place today, December 8 at 1p, and will include data from the group’s recent study, “State of Fandom.” The report notes that after a year of binging any content they could get their hands on for comfort, TV fans are more focused and mindful this year, going deeper than ever before on a select few favorites. (Learn more and register here: https://www.fandom.com/state-of-fandom/.)
Other key findings include:
- Second screen or “companion experiences” are up +70% since 2019 -n services that help fans research characters, plot lines, tips and tricks while watching.
- Wikis With Highest Engagement Growth in 2021 were: “Friends” (312%); “The Simpsons” (198%);
“Avatar” (168%); “Spongebob” (107%); “Sonic” (103%); and “Minecraft” (79%). - In order to make time for the shows they care about, fans are spending 56% less time aimlessly scrolling for something to watch.
- 40% of fans have of fans report spending less passive time with entertainment, and 49% report they’re spending less time leaving the TV on as background noise.
- Big releases were back in 2021, and fans were 25% more likely to follow the zeitgeist, focusing their time on shows and movies that dominated the cultural conversation.
- Fans spent 3.4X more time engaged with new releases than they did last year, leaning into big releases like “WandaVision.”
- With new releases on tap, fans also welcomed back appointment TV in 2021. Consumers were 34% more likely to watch the lates episodes and releases as they came out, in order to be in the know and avoid spoilers.
- Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” saw the largest traffic increases on its Fandom community on season two episodic release days, garnering 25% more traffic than an average day within the community.
- Consumers spent more of their free time – and money – on engaging with entertainment at home.
- 83% of fans prioritize spending disposable income on their entertainment interests.
- TV fans were most likely to rank streaming services at the top of their list, which explains why the average consumer in the US subscribes to four of them. Followed by Home entertainment upgrades and collectibles.
- While 70% of people are ready for the return of in-person fan events, nearly half of the audience are interested in a mix of live and virtual events.
- Virtual event attendees are 20% more likely to be superfans of the IP.
State of Fandom methodology: The 2021 State of Fandom report identifies macro-level entertainment patterns and trends based on a survey of 7,000 entertainment fans aged 13-54 in the US, UK, Canada, SEA and Mexico. These insights were validated and deepened through Fandom’s robust user data (over 300 monthly unique visitors, 40 million pages of content across 250k fan-powered wikis) and qualitative and quantitative insights from Fandom’s proprietary fan panel. This methodology provides a 360-degree view of the ever-changing entertainment and gaming landscape.
