March 2020: Passport is Breaking Streaming Records

Since launch in late 2015, Passport has been a significant source of support for stations all over the country. Passport has proved to not only be an especially useful tool for donor acquisition, but also a vehicle for stations to deepen engagement with existing supporters. Today, social distancing measures during the COVID-19 crisis have further pushed viewers towards the flexibility of streaming services. CDP’s data shows that Passport has been no exception to this trend.

As part of its service to the system, CDP collects Passport viewership data on behalf of 83 stations. This process provides an unparalleled level of insight into streaming behavior across the public media landscape. For stations that have connected viewership data to their individual CRM systems, now is the perfect opportunity to engage donors using the insights gathered from their Passport viewership data. Conversations with donors become more impactful when you know what PBS programs compel them to support your station. Imagine, for example, how much meaningful a phone conversation major donor could be, when you know exactly what PBS dramas they’ve watched within the past 7 days.

For stations providing streaming data, please log into your free Analytics Engine.

CDP’s highlights for March streaming:

March 2020 set all-time records for all 83 stations participating in the CDP Analytics Engine. Significant gains have been see in number of Passport streams, number of streamers, number of new streamers, and total hours streamed. More than 350,000 donors streamed more than 1.6 million hours of content – a 50% increase over the previous March in number of streamers, and more than double the number of hours streamed. Further still, this number includes more than 36,000 users who streamed for the first time.

Until March,  previous months have shown high levels of Passport usage correlated to the release of a popular show (often a new season of a Masterpiece drama, or a documentary miniseries). This is a well-known phenomena within the system. Although there was a new release in March—the Masterpiece series Beecham House—it uncharacteristically did not drive the majority of the viewing increases seen in March. Compared to January of this year, another high-usage month when 53% of streams were newly-released shows (mostly the Masterpiece show Sanditon), only 33% of streams in March were of new content. This is notable shift in viewer behavior.

In addition, viewers watched a lot of different shows in March. Viewers watched PBS Newshour 57% more than they had in January. Antiques Roadshow too saw a 54% increase in viewing for the same time periods. Both core programs were in the top 5 shows watched in March. Last, 49 different shows were streamed at least 10,000 times in March, compared to 38 in January. 113 shows were streamed at least 1,000 times. (The last show on that list: a show called Outdoor Idaho, streamed 1,005 times in March.)

We know our stations’ members still think our content is important – they’re adopting the Passport platform more than ever before, and they’re streaming not just new programs but old favorites. As stations are forced to adapt to the new fundraising environment, we must utilize the opportunity provided by the current increases in Passport engagement to further reinforce our value to our existing donors. Connect with your existing and major donors about the content they love and finds ways to talk to newly Passport-activated donors about the streaming benefits that come with support.

CDP is here to help. Contact us to find out how you can join the Analytics Engine to gain actionable knowledge about your donors' Passport viewing and get access to services that allow you to target those insights at the individual donor level.