Audience insight: Disney+ subscribers and the Beatles

Audience insight: Disney+ subscribers and the Beatles

Hoang Nguyen - October 14th, 2021

The Beatles’ new film “Get Back” is coming to Disney+ over the Thanksgiving holidays this year. Directed by Peter Jackson, the three-part documentary will feature exclusive footage shot in January 1969 and will likely resonate well with Disney+ subscribers given their affinity to the timeless band, according to YouGov research.

Data from YouGov Profiles, an advanced audience intelligence tool, shows customers of Disney+ in the US are more likely to be fans of the Beatles than the overall population (78% vs. 74% of US adults; a significant statistical difference). This is true of British customers of the popular streaming service as well, with 82% giving a positive rating to the Beatles (vs. 70% of British adults).

When we look at TV viewing behaviors among Beatles fans in the US, however, there’s little difference in their likelihood to subscribe to Disney+ when compared with the overall US population (23% of Beatles fans are Disney+ customers vs. 22% of US adults). Instead, Beatles fans over index in their likelihood to be customers of another popular streaming platform Peacock (11% of Beatles fans are customers vs. 8% of US adults) as well as Tubi (8% vs. 6%) and Spectrum (15% vs. 12%).

On the other hand, fans of the Beatles in Great Britain are significantly more likely to be customers of Disney+ (20% vs. 16% of British adults). Data from YouGov BrandIndex, which tracks consumer perceptions of brands, shows the Beatles fans can also be found watching TV on services or networks such BBC iPlayer (45% vs. 34%), ITV Hub (24% vs. 17%), Sky Sports (22% vs. 15%) and All 4 (24% vs. 14%).

In the minds of Disney+ customers and the Beatles fans

In the US, Disney+ customers who like the Beatles are significantly more likely to be 35-44 years old (24% vs. 16% of US adults) and less likely to be young adults (6% are 18-24 years-old vs. 12% of US adults). This also explains why they’re likely to parents of young children, with more than a third saying they have a child younger than the age of 18 (35% vs. 28%).

To get a better map of these consumers’ lives beyond their demographics, we also looked at their attitudes toward media and advertising.

What this streaming audience cares about in media:

  • Streaming is a game changer. Nearly nine in ten of Disney+ customers who are fans of the Beatles agree that streaming services changed TV watching for them (vs. 66% of US adults). Our data also reveals that this specific streaming audience tend to watch TV using multiple streaming platforms, including Netflix (81% are also customers of this platform), Amazon Prime Video (63%) and Hulu (58%). They also tend to be heavy listeners of music streaming platforms and podcasts.
  • Family plans and group subscriptions are key. Three-quarters of this streaming audience say video and music streaming services should offer more group subscriptions (77% vs. 61% of Nat Rep.) What’s more, 59% of this group say they share their streaming credentials with close ones.



What they say about advertising:

  • They believe brands should take a stance on social issues and are motivated to buy from brands that align with their views. One of the defining characteristics is Disney+ subscribers who like the Beatles is they favor brands who speak up on social issues (58% vs. 48% of US adults). Our analysis shows that if a brand expresses a view that aligns with this streaming audience, they say they’re more likely to endorse the brand (67%). This could be a powerful opportunity for brands who have a clear point of view and can strike an authentic tone with these consumers.
  • OOH advertising has strong potential for activation. This group proves attentive to out-of-home ads and even say that posters and billboards are great ways to find about film releases and events (47% vs. 36% of US adults). Disney+ customers who are fans of the Beatles also use social media to comment on and engage in conversations about the things they see on billboards and posters.

Learn more about Profiles and BrandIndex.

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Methodology
: The data is from YouGov Profiles and based on the interviews of 328 Disney+ current customers in the US and 119 Disney+ current customers in Great Britain. All interviews were conducted online among adults aged 18 and over between July 2020 – July 2021. Results are weighted to be nationally representative. Learn more about YouGov Profiles.