Strictly Business The Real 'Heated Rivalry': The Competitive State of Streaming Originals
Jan 30, 2026
Tyler Aquilina, media analyst at Luminate and lead author of the Year‑End Film & TV Report 2025, breaks down streaming viewership trends and the new viewing-hours metric. He contrasts social buzz with actual rankings, explains Netflix's slipping share and rivals' gains, examines Love Island's streaming surge, and previews how returning hits and changing production incentives will shape 2026.
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Streaming Originals Saw A Big Spike
- Streaming original viewing hours jumped 18% in 2025, driven largely by a 21% increase in TV series engagement.
- Tyler Aquilina credits this to a rising tide of big hits across multiple platforms rather than a single-service blockbuster.
Love Island's Peacock Breakout
- Love Island USA moved from CBS to Peacock and exploded with its seventh season in 2025.
- The season topped streaming TV seasons with about 18 billion minutes watched, driven by high drama and buzz.
Buzz ≠ Viewing At Scale
- Social buzz doesn't always equal massive viewership; Heated Rivalry had strong conversation but didn't reach top-10 viewing levels.
- Luminate prefers minutes-watched as the engagement currency, finding time spent more meaningful than estimated-view metrics.