May The Fourth: How streaming has powered the return of the jedi

It’s been 47 years since Luke Skywalker first appeared on the silver screen. Little did he know, as he set out across the harsh Tatooine deserts, that he was kickstarting a franchise now worth $65 billion dollars.

To this day, fans come together from far, far away to celebrate Star Wars Day (May the Fourth to us non-Jedi), cementing the space opera’s position as a cultural institution. Since its inception, Star Wars has been animated, translated, rebooted, parodied, merchandised, praised and criticised more times than the Force has reawakened.

But nearly half a century on, Star Wars is stronger than ever. And it’s not just the original nerf-herders that are contributing to its success. The franchise has won the hearts and minds of an entirely new audience, thanks to one factor: Disney+ and its connected universe.

These are the spin-offs you’re looking for

When Disney+ launched back in 2019, it needed a flagship show to secure those early viewers and convince them of its standout value compared to its competitors. The Mandalorian went above and beyond what was expected - driving more than 10 million subscribers in the first day alone.

Consumers were already comfortable with subscription streaming services, with Disney entering a thriving marketplace alongside Netflix and Prime Video. Rewind a little further and it was traditional broadcasters such as Sky, Virgin Media, and old-school Cable TV that were bringing this model to mainstream audiences. And even outside of the world of television, newspapers and magazines have leveraged subscriptions for centuries.

The challenge with all services like this is to keep viewers engaged past the initial launch, particularly if you’re offering free trials. But Disney+ has managed to do this with its constant iterations of Star Wars content - for the avid fan, a subscription here is a no-brainer.

New series like Andor and Ahsoka have followed in The Mandalorian’s footsteps, keeping viewers immersed in the galaxy they know and love. The success of the platform’s Star Wars endeavours is clear from their ever-increasing catalogue of award-winning shows, with even more being planned for the next decade.

Bringing balance to the generations

Modern subscription services are intelligent; they have the content you want, and they are getting better at serving it up to you hot and fresh. For people of a certain generation, the nostalgia of Star Wars made having access to all of the content in one place a highly tempting offer.

Most parents will have experienced the eye-rolls and sighs associated with trying to get their kids interested in a show from their youth. However, new Star Wars shows are flying in quicker than the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel Run. It’s this frequency that creates the perfect viewing environment for an intergenerational audience.

Young people get to enjoy the high budget, special FX of a modern show, combined with the characters, plot lines and planetary systems that the older generation remember so fondly. The placement of the old and the new directly adjacent to each other on a streaming platform is essential to maintaining engagement. We’ve all had that feeling of finishing a film or series and just wanting that little bit more, streaming services are making that easier than ever - feeding the viewers what they want, when they want it.

And this works even better within the wider Disney universe of theme parks, cruises and in-person experiences. Building on this strong audience loyalty, and tapping into their multigenerational, international fanbase, is a key part of the streaming service’s success.

Return of the Franchise

What streaming services do really well at the moment is breathing new life into old shows. That’s because their subscription style model is based on engagement, so making the most of the content you have is essential to keeping viewers happy.

Whether it’s through reboots like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+, or simply providing access to oldies but goldies such as Grey’s Anatomy or Friends, streaming platforms have been responsible for many a cultural resurgence.

Access to this content has also been made more affordable by recent movement towards ad-tiered streaming options. The latest IAB ad spend report highlighted that 28% of the population have used ad-supported online entertainment more during the cost-of-living crisis.

Creating variable pricing and multiple variations on a singular plan gives a more personalised experience for the user. This strategy recognises that everyone’s experiences are unique - but what’s not unique is wanting to enjoy high-quality programming.

May the subs be with you

We know that subscriptions are on the up in the digital media and entertainment. In fact our latest data from Recurly’s State of Subscription report shows a 124% increase in total subscribers in this sector since 2020, and it’s clear to see why. By this point Disney+ knows what it’s doing combining a strong content offering, with a multigenerational appeal, turbocharged using effective business strategies to keep users coming back for more.

Through Star Wars, Disney+ has tapped into this highly engaged audience and run with it, to huge commercial and critical success. So with Baby Yoda and Jar Jar Binks tucked firmly under Disney’s belt, the galaxy is the limit for what Disney+ will do next.

Guy Meyers is regional director of customer success at Recurly