The three most valuable audiences in Media and Entertainment right now

Work smarter, not harder. 

This should be applied to most things in life, but especially when you’re looking to grow your audience. 

Because people like to overcomplicate this practice. Just think, how much time and money have you wasted targeting audiences that never converted, or ran ads that never worked? 

Knowing and focusing on the most valuable audiences in your industry is the key to building a profitable, engaged, and loyal customer base. 

So here are the most valuable customers in the Media and Entertainment industry right now: 

1. Publishing - Fantasy Fans 
2. Streaming - Loud Fan Community 
3. Gaming - High Spend Gamers

Publishing 

Book sales in the recent years have seen a small decline, but the one genre that’s grown year after year is Fantasy (by 41.3% last year) -  this makes Fantasy fans the most valuable audience in the publishing industry right now. 

Onyx Storm (Fantasy) by Rebecca Yarros has been the best selling book of 2025 so far, selling 2.7 million copies in the first week of its release. 

Why specifically are Fantasy readers so valuable? Unlike other book fans, Fantasy fans are built differently - they are extremely engaged and willing to spend a lot of money.

Of all the groups of readers, this group spends the most on books because they aren’t just readers, they are collectors and investors. This means they will buy the same Fantasy book in multiple different printings (standard, deluxe, limited editions), and this group loves to spring for the hard cover. 

As a Fantasy reader myself, I can attest that the only hard copy books I've bought in the last year have been Fantasy. 

But not only will Fantasy fans buy the hard copies but they will also have the ebooks, and the audio versions too (I am guilty of this as well) - and they re-read the books. 

And the thing about Fantasy is that most Fantasy books (if not all) are part of a series, which means you don’t have them on the hook for the first book, you have them buying the 5th, the 6th, the 7th… you get the idea. 

So as a publisher, one fan = multiple different book purchases. 

These fans don’t just stop at the books though, they also love buying merchandise. 

Fantasy fans are known for building massive communities around the book on social media to discuss the book, rate the book, discuss theories on the series, and share memes and fan art. 

You can see that these fans have massive Facebook groups and Subreddits dedicated to discussing Fantasy book series: 

These communities act as free marketing tools for the publisher and the author, further promoting the book. These groups are so influential that they even get a lot of these books turned into TV and movie adaptations - and directors hate to disappoint them. 

And finally, for the audiobook publishers, Fantasy books are extremely long (if you have ever read one then you know that seeing 1000+ pages is not uncommon). All this means is that it takes the reader a longer time to get through the audio book, prolonging the reader's audiobook subscription. 

Fantasy fans are the audience to target and prioritize, and we’re here to help. 

Here’s what we know about this high value audience “The Core Fantasy Readers”. By definition this audience are the biggest fans of Fantasy novels, and follow multiple different Fantasy authors, fan accounts, and Fantasy influencers. 

• The majority of this audience is in their late 20s and early 30s, are Spanish speaking and live in cities like Madrid.
• They are fantasy-obsessed romantics; they are into deep emotional storytelling, “romantacy” (romantic fantasy) books, character-driven plots, and those heart wrenching character dialogs.
• They are night owls, meaning they primarily engage with online content between 6-11pm, especially on Monday’s, often from their phone while they wind down for the night.

• These readers crave harmony, connection, and meaning, and they gravitate toward content that reflects love and friendship.
• Core Fantasy Readers are private but very loyal fans - they are more likely to share content and engage through platforms like WhatsApp, Spotify and Twitch.

• This audience gravitate towards influencers like Sara Stormblessed, Zaw, and BookTok creators, especially the ones who do deep dives into Fantasy series like ACOTAR and Percy Jackson.
• They prefer shows like Stranger Things and Game of Thrones.
• They are drawn to beautifully curated, emotional content across books, music, and visuals - think Spotify playlists inspired by their favorite fantasy novels.

If you want to target this exact audience on social, then download our targeting playbook ​​👇

Streaming 

Severance and The White Lotus, these are 2 of the three most popular TV shows streaming right now. 

On the surface, these shows are completely different. But one thing they do have in common is their complex and mysterious storylines - as a viewer you are trying to uncover what is going to happen next, and both shows leave their audiences with a lot of easter eggs. 

Easter eggs are little hidden details or references placed in the show for the viewer to discover, that give you clues as to what is going to happen next. 

So why is this so important?

Well, easter eggs can take a great show and blow it out of the water in terms of audience engagement. 

Think about it, easter eggs are subtle, so people don’t catch them always on the first watch - this encourages viewers to re-watch or replay the show. 

Easter eggs spark entire online communities who want to discuss these easter eggs and their theories as to what will happen next, further promoting the show. 

And then, audiences are so dialed in, that you have millions tuning in to watch the latest episode - blowing up your viewership and ratings.

Easter eggs are nothing new, but they are used by the best of them. Taylor Swift is the master of leaving her audiences with easter eggs in her music videos, announcements etc you name it, and this keeps her audience hyper engaged.

So audiences of these shows and lovers of easter eggs are the most valuable audience in streaming right now. Because not only are they watching your show as soon as the next episode comes out, but they are talking about it with everyone they know, they are posting about it online, they are joining communities to talk about the theories, they are google searching the title to see if there is more information they can find, they are tuning into deep dives on Youtube, and they are re-watching the show to find any details they’ve missed. 

They act as a major marketing tool for your show and streaming service, and they stay subscribed to your streaming service for the entirety of the show, if not longer. Some even stay to re-watch the entire series to see the show from new eyes once the mystery of it all has been solved. 

These are your gold customers and in the streaming world they are the ones you should be paying attention to and creating shows for, as there is no other audience as engaged and dialed in. 

We call this audience the “Loud Fan Community” because of their high engagement with the show itself but also their high engagement online surrounding the show: 

Here’s a summary of the insights on this audience: 

• They are emotionally chaotic pop culture lovers; obsessed with shows like the White Lotus, Severance, and Yellowjackets, they love drama, depth, and aesthetics with a side of chaos.
• Online you will find them most engaged between 6–11 PM. They amplify emotional or ironic content through shares, not comments. Mobile is their main screen.
• This audience prefers platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram for emotional memes, commentary, and aesthetic storytelling - low-key, but deeply engaged.

• They are big on Spotify and YouTube for building playlists that match their moods; existential, dramatic, or unhinged.
• This audience is open-minded, deeply feeling, and drawn to storytelling that’s both meaningful and messy.
• They love emotionally-charged content with a twist: think out-of-context memes, emotionally unstable TV edits, or aesthetic dissonance.
• With clusters in cities like Paris, London, Mexico City, and NYC, their humor and taste transcend borders.

• They follow niche, chaotic and emotionally rich influencers/ meme accounts; from lisa loops and entonio to meme pages like Non-Aesthetic Things, they crave authenticity over polish

If you want to target this exact audience on social, then download our targeting playbook ​​👇

Gaming

The most valuable audience in gaming are termed the “Whales” - this name for this gaming audience is not new but basically it means that these are the high-spend gamers. 

They spend thousands of dollars on games, in-app purchases, and gaming accessories. 

These whales are the top 5% of spenders in the gaming industry but they account for over 50% of a game's total revenue - so if you can capture this group, even a small portion of it, its going to have a massive impact on your bottom line. 

This audience is also attractive because they are on-going spenders, they like to buy bundles, limited offers, battle passes, you name it. 

They are the ones playing daily, and interacting with their gaming community daily too. 

They are also the type to dominate gaming leaderboards and influence other players. 

So how do you find and target the “Whales” or in our own terms the “High Spend Gamers”? That’s where Audiense comes in - we’ve analyzed this audience for you👇 

Here’s a summary of the insights on this audience: 

• They are not your average gamer; these are high-investment players (mostly men aged 25–34) who pour serious time, money, and attention into gaming as a lifestyle. For them, it’s not just a hobby.
• This audience is analytical and emotionally intense. They are high on the neuroticism scale and low in extroversion. They’re thoughtful, self-aware, and crave control, strategy, and structure in both their digital and real lives.
  
  
• You will find them online between the hours of 6-11pm, especially on Friday’s, on Twitch, TikTok, Discord, YouTube, and Spotify.
• High-Spend Gamers are authority-driven and brand loyal. They trust creators with credibility, like Phil Spencer, Kojima, and Geoff Keighley. They  prefer platforms like IGN, Game Informer, and PC Gamer for gaming content.
• They are huge fans of a curated playlist: Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube dominate their media habits, often pairing gameplay with intense and emotional playlists.
• They are franchise fanatics, they are obsessed with Halo, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Pokémon, and anything with deep lore and replayable legacy; this is a storytelling-first crowd.

• You will find that they are low on replies but high on creation meaning they are more likely to post or produce original content than reply or comment. For them, it's about shaping the conversation, not following it.
• Everyone in this audience is tech-savvy and entrepreneur-minded. With high LinkedIn usage, bios that include “founder” and “CEO,” and a passion for gear, guides, and resources, this is a growth-focused, gamer-meets-operator demographic.

If you want to know exactly how to target audience on social, then download our targeting playbook ​​👇

Target the most valuable audiences now

Targeting the most valuable audiences in Media and Entertainment doesn’t have to be rocket science. It’s as easy as downloading the audience list and targeting them directly on social media. 

Tapping into these high-value groups means unlocking communities that are not only deeply engaged but also ready to buy, share, and stick around. 

Whether you're a publisher, streaming platform, or gaming brand, focusing your strategy on these audience segments isn’t just smart, it’s transformative.

Want to start targeting them today? Sign up for your free trial of Audiense and unlock full access to these audience lists, reports, and tools to reach your most valuable customers now.