A decade in the past, success in media meant capturing the biggest attainable viewers. Immediately, it more and more comes from serving the superfans.
However a deeper shift is underway. Probably the most engaged audiences are now not centered across the authentic franchise—they’re centered round particular moments, characters, or interpretations of it. Sub-fandoms are already driving extra engagement than the supply materials itself. We see this throughout leisure, from viral clips to gaming, the place watching others play has turn out to be as massive as—or greater than—enjoying the sport itself.
Nonetheless, the content material cycle hasn’t caught as much as this alteration. Studios launch main movies each few years, or video games each 5 to seven years, leaving lengthy gaps between moments of engagement.
This creates a disconnect: Audiences need fixed, personalised interplay, however franchises are constructed round rare, high-cost releases. To bridge this hole and hold sub-fandoms thriving, studios should discover methods to foster steady micro-engagements with followers.
That is the place generative AI steps in. It’s now straightforward for mental property (IP) holders to develop touchpoints with their followers exterior of conventional releases. This offers their audiences new methods to personalize their expertise of interacting with their favourite franchises. For IP holders and thought mills, the query has moved from “What content material ought to we make?” to “What instruments ought to we give our viewers to nurture their very own sub-fandoms?” The true alternative is in giving individuals the instruments to construct their very own tales.
WHY SUB-FANDOMS NOW OUTPERFORM ORIGINAL FRANCHISES
Historically, fandom centered round a bit of content material: a present, movie, artist, or creator, and was largely anchored to the unique narrative. However sub-fandoms function otherwise. They deal with a particular slice of that universe. It is likely to be a relationship between two characters, an alternate model of what occurs after the story ends, or a reimagining of a aspect character that was by no means totally explored.
In these communities, the plot turns into secondary. We see this play out each day in web tradition. Hundreds of thousands take part in traits constructed round a single line, clip, or thought, however many partaking with these traits have by no means seen the particular scenes or learn the unique tales they got here from. This dynamic reveals the singular essence of what audiences really join with, somewhat than the complete story itself.
THE OLD FRANCHISE MODEL BREAKS AT THE SUB-FANDOM LEVEL
Media firms right now are constructed to broadcast to mass audiences. Studios make investments closely in international franchises, blockbuster movies, and broadly interesting storylines constructed to succeed in as many individuals as attainable.
However audiences are shifting in the other way. They’re gravitating towards extra particular, personalised experiences that mirror their particular person pursuits, lots of which aren’t tied to conventional franchises in any respect. Social media accelerated this shift by fragmenting audiences and coaching customers to count on hyper-personalized feeds.
This depth of engagement is proving extra worthwhile than broad attain. In keeping with Deloitte’s 2026 Digital Media Trends report, the “mass media” period has formally decoupled. Superfans now spend $71 monthly on streaming, 27% greater than the typical viewer.
On the similar time, the media platforms and economics haven’t caught up. Huge-budget content material nonetheless requires large audiences to justify the funding, at the same time as streaming growth slows to around 7% and the market turns into more and more saturated.
The result’s that studios can’t realistically create content material for each area of interest storyline or group, which leaves a large unmet demand for extra personalised narratives.
AI FUELS MICRO-ENGAGEMENTS BETWEEN MAJOR RELEASES
Generative AI removes the financial barrier that beforehand made sub-fandoms—and the day by day micro-engagements that maintain them—not possible to serve.
As a substitute of manufacturing content material for audiences, firms can allow audiences to create it themselves. With AI instruments now built-in into on a regular basis platforms, creating and remixing content material has turn out to be normal conduct.
At Character.ai, we’re seeing how this shift performs out. With merchandise like our new Books, an AI-powered interactive storytelling expertise, customers can step right into a story and discover new potentialities, taking narratives in several instructions or inserting characters in solely new worlds. The purpose isn’t to switch or recreate the unique story, however to develop it.
AI dramatically lowers the price of creation. As soon as a mannequin exists, producing alternate endings or storylines prices nearly nothing, whereas conventional manufacturing selections can price tens of millions. This allows near-infinite narrative variations, permitting franchises to facilitate the essential touchpoints wanted to maintain followers hooked throughout the wait between blockbuster releases. It turns followers into creators, giving them the flexibility to construct on the worlds they already care about.
RETHINK THE ROLE OF MASS MEDIA
Mass media isn’t disappearing, nevertheless it’s changing into the beginning line, not the end line.
Franchises will nonetheless matter, however their function will shift. As a substitute of being completed merchandise, they’ll turn out to be beginning factors—frameworks that communities develop, remix, and reinterpret over time.
As audiences shift from viewers to members, essentially the most highly effective franchises of the long run gained’t simply attain the most individuals—they’ll encourage essentially the most worlds.
Karandeep Anand is CEO of Character.ai.
