A new type of customer is giving Netflix, Disney+ and their rivals a cold sweat: “painters”. Behind this term hides a fairly simple concept. Subscribers pause their subscription before returning later when new content interests them. A recent study highlights this increasingly marked trend.
Antenna's analysts have noted a fairly impressive figure in the United States. The monthly median percentage of SVOD customers who rejoined the same service they previously left over the previous year stands at 34.2% through the first nine months of 2024, up from just 29. 8% in 2022.
At the same time, the customer cancellation rate has increased this year and stands at 5.2% in August. But if we correct this figure by taking into account subscribers who resume a subscription that they had abandoned, this level falls to 3.5%.
What consequences for the platforms?
For streaming services, this phenomenon calls for an immediate reaction. It is indeed necessary to constantly offer series or films that will encourage customers to stay or come back. They have been operating like this for quite a long time with regular flagship products every month.
These results should also be observed with caution, because not all platforms are in the same boat. Antenna has in fact noticed that 31% of American Max subscribers have subscribed twice or more. The same goes for Apple TV+ (29%). This suggests regular departures and returns from users.
Conversely, Netflix is the service that has the largest share of customers who have only subscribed once. Clearly, this offer serves as a basis for them and they subscribe and unsubscribe from other platforms according to the content offered.
A typical example of a pauser is given to us by the Wall Street Journal. A retiree claims to pay Netflix regularly and obtain Amazon Prime Video for her orders from the e-commerce giant. Fan of the series Only Murders in the buildingsshe unsubscribes from Hulu between two seasons. Finally, she plans to relaunch her Apple TV+ subscription when season 2 of Severance launches.
To learn more, do not hesitate to consult our previous article devoted to the phenomenon of cord-cutting, a term which corresponds to the fact that many Americans unsubscribe from cable when this medium once reigned supreme in the entertainment industry.
Did you know this term “painter”, and do you adopt the same type of strategy as a consumer? Tell us in the comments.
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