House of the Dragon, Rings of Power & The Streaming Landscape
House of the Dragon, Rings of Power & The Streaming Landscape
According to GWI, TV subscriptions could be in trouble. Returning to normal life after the pandemic means that staying in is no longer our only option. As a result, streaming services are once again having to compete for consumer attention. What’s more, rising living costs are forcing people to reevaluate their finances and cut back on monthly expenses.
There are a few things that can be done to make people stay. Netflix has announced it's working on a cheaper streaming service with ads, while others have returned to drip-feeding episodes. But of course, none of this matters without good-quality content, and two highly-anticipated prequels spring to mind.
On August 21, HBO aired the first episode of the Game Of Thrones spin-off, House Of The Dragon. This was followed ten days later by Amazon Prime’s Rings Of Power, set thousands years before The Hobbit or The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Both have provided plenty for people to talk about so far. This creates the perfect opportunity for us to gain a deeper understanding of the current landscape. We analyzed the online conversation around both shows from the past week to uncover 4 key insights:
Rings Of Power Is Trying Too Hard
Despite Lord Of The Rings' cult following, online mentions for “Rings of Power” are driven by negative sentiment. Viewers are disappointed with the show so far, citing pace as the main issue. One Twitter user writes, “Rings of Power has relentless, coked-out pacing, terrified to let anything breathe for a single second because the audience might look away”. The stakes may be high, but fans can smell desperation - and it’s off-putting.
House Of Dragons Isn’t Good, Just Better
Right now, House of Dragons seems to be the favorite, but that doesn’t necessarily mean people think it’s good, just better than Rings of Power. A particular Tweet reads, “house of the dragon is considerably better. rings of power has a serious issue with the plot just not being all that interesting. in general though, all of these sequel prequels are a bit lame. the hook in both is a lot harder to see, both just dwelling on their reputation.”. Running the shows simultaneously is certainly a gamble that is going to pay off for one streaming service more than the other.
Some Things Should Be Left In The Past
Racism is also a key topic within conversations around the House of the Dragon and Rings of Power, which have been criticized by some for their ‘woke’ casting. This comes after both Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones failed to cast any people of color in main roles. Attempts by the prequels to be more inclusive have not gone unnoticed. But, while many feel this is a move towards positive change, for others, the damage has already been done. One user writes, “Tried to give “Rings Of Power” a go. They’ve made an effort to throw in a few brown skinned faces but it just feels like too little, too late. I can’t rock with these whimsical worlds of fantasy and fiction where the imagination stops so abruptly when it comes to our existence.”.
Though it’s certainly easier to build on something that already exists, perhaps some things are better left in the past.
Gen Z Has More Affinity For TV Than Film
Our research shows that House of the Dragon is more popular among GenZ users than Rings of Power. While millennials and older generations had VHS and DVD, this age group is the first to have grown up with streaming services. This indicates that younger adults have more affinity for TV shows than film. Think of it this way: they are more likely to have seen Stranger Things than the movies that inspired it. As a result, they feel less nostalgic towards Lord of the Rings, which came out in 2001.
Feelings may be mixed, but one thing’s for sure, people are watching both. We wonder who will get canceled when the shows end.
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