'Masters Of The Air' Takes Off, Lifting Predecessors Higher
Friday, 16 February 2024, 9:23 am Press Release: Parrot Analytics
Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air always had big
shoes to fill, drawing inevitable comparisons to its iconic
forebears — HBO’s Band of Brothers and The
Pacific. After roughly a decade in development, the new
series finally debuted on Apple TV+ on January 26, and has
been among the top 3% of shows across all platforms with
global audiences since then.
Parrot Analytics'
audience demand data reveals that the marketing campaign and
debut of Masters of the Air — which carried a hefty
reported budget of over $250M — has significantly boosted
global demand for Band of Brothers and The
Pacific.
The arrival of Masters of the Air,
and its role in reigniting audience attention for its
predecessor series, highlights the complex interplay between
new content, legacy franchises, and the strategic reach of
different streaming services. At its core, it reflects the
benefits of the streaming halo effect.
The "Netflix
Effect" and Trailer Bumps
Two
key factors appear to have fueled this resurgence. First,
the "Netflix effect" played a crucial role after Band of
Brothers and The Pacific landed on Netflix on
September 15, 2023 (they were also available on
Max).
Within days global demand surged for both
series, surging to 23.29x more than the average series
worldwide for Band of Brothers, and 16.87x for The
Pacific. This marked the highest demand for The
Pacific during the period analyzed.
The second
factor came in November with the release of the official
teaser for Masters of the Air. Shortly after, both
Band of Brothers and The Pacific experienced
renewed interest with global audiences. The Pacific
rose up to 14.97x on November 19 and Band of Brothers
jumped to 18.9x on November 27.
Three days after the
official trailer dropped, The Pacific reached a high
of 14.05x on December 9, while Band of Brothers shot
up to 18.77x on December 11. Demand for the both shows
continued to increase steadily until the actual debut of the
new series on January 26.
Predecessors Soar
Higher
Though
Masters of the Air briefly surpassed Band of
Brothers in global demand upon its release, the latter
quickly regained its standing as the new series drove
renewed interest to the legacy show.
Masters of
the Air reached a peak of 20.79x the day after its
debut, steadily lifting Band of Brothers, which
climbed to 23.54x by February 4 — just slightly ahead of
its post-Netflix peak.
Masters of the Air is
only half way through its run, and weekly released series
often peak after their season finales, so the new show still
has a lot of runway to grow its global
audience.
The Pacific also benefited, peaking
at 16.24x on January 28.
It’s evident that
both the move to Netflix and the release of Masters of
the Air lifted demand for Band of Brothers and
The Pacific. For those who question whether HBO
should have kept the franchise exclusive, a comparative look
at audience demographic data can shed further
light.
Different Platforms, Different
Audiences
A
look at global audience demographics for Max, Apple TV+, and
Netflix highlights their distinct appeal. Max and Netflix
share similar popularity among Zennials (23-29 year olds),
with 28% of their demand coming from this
demographic.
While all three platforms have a close
gender share breakdown, Netflix leans slightly female
(54.4%), contrasting with the male-dominated Max and Apple
TV+ (50.5% and 52% respectively). Linear HBO has also always
been more male-leaning.
Apple TV+’s slightly older
and more male audience should make it the prime target of a
World War II-era series.
Considering these
demographics, HBO's licensing decision to bring Band of
Brothers and The Pacific to Netflix becomes
strategically astute. Netflix's wider reach exposes these
classic series to a younger, potentially untapped audience,
possibly fostering future franchise loyalty.
With
Masters of the Air's finale still weeks away,
questions remain. Will the newly-introduced audience,
captivated by Band of Brothers and The
Pacific, migrate to Masters of the Air? This
potential domino effect could solidify the franchise's
multi-generational appeal and further extend its
legacy.
