Audiences are turning to classic TV shows as the Hollywood writers and actors strikes drag on

As the dual labor strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) continue to drag on, there is less and less new content to keep audiences satiated. But audiences themselves haven’t abandoned their screens—they’ve just shifted their attention to other types of content.

According to a new report shared exclusively with Fast Company by Qloo, a cultural and entertainment analytics firm, viewers are turning to “vintage” or “retro” content to get their entertainment fix.

Qloo’s data shows that in the months following the dual strikes, TV shows that had a final air date of more than three years ago had a 1.94x surge in viewership compared to current TV shows. 

The report doesn’t reveal why people are turning to classic shows that have already finished their runs instead of back episodes of more recent shows. One possible explanation is that audiences might be seeking out content that they know has a viewable beginning and end—as a finished classic TV series does. What’s the point of getting invested in a currently running show if you don’t know when the storyline will continue?

Qloo’s data also revealed that audiences appear to be substituting their contemporary Hollywood fix with other types of media, including books and podcasts. Books saw around a 2.74x surge and podcasts saw around a 2.46x surge in consumption compared to viewerships of current TV series.

Meanwhile, some types of genres across all media types are performing better than others, Qloo’s data reveals. During the strikes, media in the travel, reality, science, mystery/noir, and horror genres have seen a gain of anywhere from around 7% to as much as 13% in consumption. That’s compared to media genres including comedy, drama, fantasy/sci-fi, variety, and animated, all of which have seen declines in consumption of anywhere from 10% to 20%.

The message to Hollywood: Audiences have options. It’s the studios themselves that are running out of them.