Doing a deep dive into audience behavior at Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and HBO Max in the U.S. and Europe, Digital i has found that “low-friction” content—franchises, kids’ and family fare, and big movie releases—are key to retaining infrequent viewers that are likely to churn.
Digital i explored trends among “light viewers”—subs who infrequently use subscription platforms and are those most at risk of unsubscribing. Per Digital i, those viewers spend 48 minutes per day or less on Netflix, under 18 minutes on HBO Max, less than 12 minutes on Prime Video, and 11 minutes or less on Disney+.
The research company tracked titles viewed on those four major platforms in the U.S., UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden during 2025 among light viewers. On Disney+, big hits among light viewers included Hocus Pocus 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine, while at Prime Video, light viewers turned to Wicked: Part I, Conclave, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie (20.1% of 7.3m), alongside the original series Last One Laughing UK. “While bundling Prime Video with its Amazon Prime retail service provides unique churn reduction benefits, our data shows that high-intent, familiar IP is still required to move passive subscribers into active, engaged viewers,” Digital i said. “It also explains the typically lower density of light viewers on the service.”
At HBO Max, while The Last of Us was a huge hit for the platform but only reached 21.4% of light viewers, while the feature film Flow delivered smaller numbers but captured 35%.
Live sports continue to serve as a subscription driver, Digital i adds, alongside franchises such as Wednesday and Squid Game.
“The content that prevents churn is not always the content that dominates headlines or breaks overall reach records,” commented Digital i analyst Elena Mozzato. “Our 2025 analysis shows a clear ‘reach vs. retention’ gap. While critically acclaimed hits like The Last of Us draw massive audiences, it is the ‘low-friction’ titles—the familiar franchises and theatrical blockbusters—that disproportionately capture light viewers. These titles act as subscription stabilizers; by reducing decision friction for infrequent users, they provide a consistent reason to stay subscribed between major prestige releases.”
