With more content available than ever before, I’ve been thinking about how consumers are navigating an increasingly digital media landscape, and whether the value of media is always about being more convenient, more immediate or more accessible.

Our latest UK Brand Reaction Index provides an interesting perspective on this. While Media & Entertainment remains a relatively strong category, with an overall BRI score of +22, some of the strongest emotional connections are being built by brands that offer quite different experiences.

Penguin Books, for example, has the highest BRI score within Media & Entertainment at +42, ahead of Netflix at +38 and YouTube at +35. For a category dominated by digital platforms and on-demand content, the strength of a traditional physical format is interesting.

 

The changing role of media

There is no doubt that digital has transformed how we consume entertainment. We can watch almost anything, whenever we want. We can discover new music and creators through social platforms, read news on our phones and move between different forms of entertainment throughout the day – the convenience of this is difficult to compete with. For example, YouTube remains top for Gen Z when it comes to content consumption, serving as entertainment hub, learning tool and identity space in one.

However, our research also points to some of the tensions that come with this increasingly digital environment, including signs of digital fatigue and a growing appreciation of tangible, real-world experiences. This doesn’t necessarily mean consumers want less digital media. Rather, it suggests that the context in which media is consumed is becoming increasingly important. This is echoed by speakers at the 2025 Youth Marketing Strategy conference (YMS), many of whom discussed the importance of brands engaging online micro-communities through real-world experiences.

A book is a very different experience from scrolling through a social feed. Going to the cinema is different from watching a film at home. Attending a live event is different again. These experiences require a degree of intentionality, and often create opportunities for people to engage with content in a more focused or shared way.

 

From consumption to experience

This raises an interesting question for media brands: as content becomes increasingly abundant, could the experience around that content become more important?

  • For publishers, this might mean thinking about how reading fits into people’s lives beyond the book itself.
  • For streaming platforms, it could mean creating stronger communities and shared cultural moments around programmes.
  • For broadcasters and media owners, it could mean looking at how content can extend into live experiences, events or other forms of participation.

A media environment is not just a route to an audience. The mindset and context in which that audience encounters content can have a significant impact on how a message is received.

 

What does this mean for media brands?

Digital remains fundamental to how people discover, consume and share content, and brands such as Netflix and YouTube demonstrate the strength of the connections that can be built through these platforms. But as the amount of content and choice continues to increase, it is becoming harder for brands to differentiate through content alone.

Creating experiences that feel distinctive, meaningful and worth remembering could become increasingly important. For example, I know I love going to the cinema, but I love it even more when the movie is followed by an exclusive Q&A with the film team! For media brands, the question may therefore be less about how much content people consume, and more about what role that content plays in their lives. That feels particularly relevant as we think about where the media landscape goes next.

 

Understanding audience behaviour is what we do 

The Media team at RED C specialises in the audience insight that distributors, broadcasters, streaming platforms and media owners need to make confident strategic decisions. We work across the full media landscape, from cinema to streaming, digital to publishing and beyond, helping our clients understand not just what audiences are watching, but why they are watching it, what keeps them loyal, and what changes habits. 

Our clients face versions of the same fundamental challenge: how do you build genuine, evidence-based understanding of how audiences discover, consume and value content, and what it would take to attract more of the right people, more often, for longer. That is the question we are built to answer. 

If you are responsible for growing an audience and you want to make sure your decisions are driven by insight rather than assumption, we would love to hear from you.

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