Season Gaps for Scripted Streaming Shows Nearly Double, Ampere Finds

Overview

• Ampere Analysis reported Wednesday, May 27, 2026, that the average time between seasons of scripted originals on major platforms has risen to about 21 months from roughly 12 months in 2020.
• Production disruptions, especially COVID-19 delays and the 2023–24 U.S. writers and actors strikes, pushed the gap sharply higher during 2020 and again in 2023–24.
• Ampere highlights a “Stranger Things effect” where shows with gaps longer than 30 months generate the largest premiere-month engagement, citing a roughly 300% rise in viewing for Stranger Things in the second half of 2025.
• The firm’s Q1 2026 U.S. survey found 54% of respondents were likely to cancel a subscription if they were not using it often enough, illustrating the retention risk of long content droughts.
• Ampere senior analyst Christen Tamisin urged platforms to balance blockbuster timelines with a steady flow of new titles because long gaps can attract lapsed viewers for tentpoles but also encourage cancellations and subscription churn.