UK-based research firm Ampere Analysis forecasts that global streamers will invest up to US$26.5 billion in original programming this year, representing a 14% increase over 2022, when they spent US$23.2 billion.

According to the company’s latest report, which was released on Wednesday, 90% of SVOD commissions from Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+ will be for high-budget scripted TV shows. Kids & family content will get 10% of the overall spend, with the rest going to genres including dramas (8%), action-adventure (7%) and documentaries (6%).

Sci-fi & fantasy shows such as Netflix’s Stranger Things (pictured) and Disney+’s The Mandalorian (both of which are family-friendly) are positioned to corner 20% of total spend. Ampere says this category will be key for streamers looking to build up consumer engagement and sign up new subscribers. 

While scripted content may get a lion’s share of the overall commission investment in 2023, audience demand for more unscripted titles continues to grow. According to Ampere, the number of unscripted projects that were supported by the streamers grew by 35% last year. And it predicts that SVODs will spend US$3.1 billion on original unscripted content this year (up from US$2.8 billion in 2022) as they test consumer appetite with a mix of live comedy specials and reality shows.

Despite the content spend increase among streamers, Ampere expects the industry as a whole to tighten its belt after a year of big spending on content in 2022. The company is forecasting that global content spend will increase by just 2% this year to US$242 billion, the smallest year-over-year bump in more than a decade.