Subscription Snapshot: highlights, vertical video and life beyond the social feed

A third of consumers prefer clips to full episodes — how can streamers and bundlers ride the short-form content wave?

1. Short-form is becoming a viewing preference in its own right. Nearly a third (32%) of Americans would rather watch highlights than full episodes, rising to 43% of Gen Z.
2. Clips can help streamers attract paying audiences. Half (51%) of Americans say short clips help them discover shows worth paying to watch.
3. Trusted alternatives to social feeds have clear appeal. Some 44% of Americans see value in getting short videos from a brand they trust, while 37% say curated clips could help keep their children off social media.
4. Long-form content remains a strong reason to stay subscribed. New episodes of favorite shows influence subscription retention for 65% of Americans, while 64% cite original or exclusive shows and movies.
5. Bundles can add value beyond the content catalog. Nearly a quarter (23%) say a music subscription would make their streaming service more valuable, while 20% say the same about a food delivery membership.

Subscription Snapshot is our quarterly look at the consumer trends reshaping the US subscription economy. As short-form content continues to dominate in the attention economy, Bango surveyed 2,500 consumers to understand how this trend is affecting the streaming industry. Launched at Network X, the findings reveal that consumers want more from their streaming subscriptions, with short clips, compelling long-form content and relevant bundles all helping to make services feel worth paying for.

As consumers today, we have an increasingly difficult choice to make. When an episode of our favorite show comes out, would we rather watch the whole thing for 40 minutes or get the highlights in 40 seconds?

This wouldn’t have even been a question as recently as 10 years ago. But now, there isn’t a clear-cut answer anymore.

We surveyed 2,500 American consumers and found that nearly a third (32%) would rather watch the highlights from a show than every full episode. This rises to more than two-fifths (43%) of Gen Z.

These stats highlight a fundamental shift in entertainment. Attention spans are changing and that means consumption habits are evolving, too.

But while many streamers are already adapting with vertical formats and shorter clips, there are still two big questions that need answering: how can they ensure they continue to ride this wave? And what does consumers’ appetite for short-form content reveal about their wider expectations?

Short-form content is a powerful marketing tool that has become especially valuable in a crowded, hotly contested attention economy. Half (51%) of Americans say short clips help them discover shows that are worth paying to watch.

Much of the conversation around short-form versus long-form centers on streamers battling social media companies for eyeballs. But clips don’t have to live only on third-party platforms, like TikTok and YouTube. Streamers have a real opportunity to offer short-form video themselves — in fact, a lot of consumers wish they would.

Two-in-five (40%) Americans reported that they would use their streaming service more often if it offered short clips from its shows, rising to more than half (53%) of Gen Z.

And for those services that have already introduced short-form, vertical content, like Netflix or Disney+, consumers are responding positively. More than a third (37%) say they use their streaming service more often now that it includes clips in portrait format, with nearly half (47%) of Millennials saying the same.

Consumers value short-form content so much that it would even make one of their biggest pain points easier to stomach — namely, price. Two-fifths (40%) say exclusive short videos could help justify the price of a streaming subscription.

Another reason why consumers might welcome short-form content from streamers is the chance to enjoy clips without the social feed that usually comes with them. And that’s a major draw for parents, in particular.

A sizeable minority (37%) of consumers — and nearly half (47%) of Millennials — say that curated short clips would be great to keep their kids off of social media. In that same vein, more than four-in-ten (44%) say that getting short videos from a brand they trust has lots of value.

The data tracks with the broader trend of families — and governments — trying to keep their kids away from social media apps. Australia introduced a social media ban for under-16s in December 2025 and the UK government plans to impose similar restrictions in 2027.

There’s clear demand for curated, age-appropriate clips from trusted sources. And streamers, as established, household names, are ideally placed to deliver.

Before we fully write off consumers’ attention spans, it’s worth remembering that enthusiasm for short-form doesn’t mean that audiences have lost their appetite for longer streaming content. People can enjoy a few quick clips on their commute and still settle in for a film or the next episode of their favorite show that evening.

Two-thirds (65%) of Americans say new episodes of the shows they follow are important in their decision to keep paying for a streaming service and a similar proportion (64%) say the same for original or exclusive shows and movies.

That appeal extends across genres. More than half cite documentaries and factual programs (55%) or children’s and family content (51%) as reasons to stay subscribed. Meanwhile, half (50%) point to live sports, highlighting that there are still plenty of reasons for audiences to commit to a longer watch.

The takeaway is that consumers value both types of content. Streamers that combine the convenience of short-form with the depth and variety of their wider catalog can cater to more viewing occasions, while helping audiences discover more value in their subscription.

The short-form wave is just one part of a larger consumer trend — fundamentally, they want more value from their streaming services and that’s not exclusive to clips.

Bundling, for example, is another way consumers feel they’re getting more value from their subscriptions. Nearly a quarter (23%) of Americans say a streaming service would have more value to them if it were bundled with a music streaming subscription, while one-in-five (19%) say the same if it were bundled with a shopping membership offering free shipping or discounts.

Moreover, most consumers (61%) say they would be more likely to keep a subscription if it were cheaper through a bundle. Younger generations, in particular, signal their interest in bundled subscriptions through their actions, with a fifth (21%) of Gen Z reporting that they’ve moved a service into a bundle in the past year to save money.

For telcos, banks, retailers and other bundlers, these findings point to a few clear opportunities. Firstly, services that people open every day feel more valuable and that goodwill extends to the bundle as well. As such, since consumers say clips would make them use their streaming service more often, bundlers should choose partners with short-form features.

Additionally, since the data shows that parents are looking to get their children off of social media, there’s a real opportunity to build bundles that cater more clearly to families. Telcos and other trusted brands are particularly well placed to deliver that.

And finally, bundlers shouldn’t forget what keeps people paying, like new episodes, exclusives and live sport. As a result, anchoring bundles around this must-have content will keep customers around longer.

Our research shows that consumers want more from their streaming subscriptions and no single feature delivers it on its own.

Short clips help people discover new shows and give them a reason to open the app every day. Long-form content is still what keeps them paying. And bundles with services they already use make the whole package feel worth the money.

For streamers, that means combining clips with compelling long-form content. For bundlers, it means choosing the right partners and packaging them around what consumers already use and love.

That’s where Bango can help. Our Digital Vending Machine® makes it simple for streamers, telcos and other providers to build and launch bundles that give consumers more reasons to subscribe and to stay.