New research reveals the three emotional zones shaping how Australians consume entertainment

The Growth Distillery, in collaboration with The Research Agency, has released Reframe: Entertainment, a new study uncovering the emotional forces guiding how Australians engage with entertainment.

The research found that in an era of constant stimulation and attention overload, 67 per cent of Australians turn to entertainment to reset or recharge emotionally. Entertainment in the research covers music, cinema, streaming, gaming, and sport.

With audiences becoming more selective, they now expect a guaranteed emotional return for the time they invest, and they’re quick to disengage if these expectations are not met.

The research found entertainment must deliver on these two fronts.

The payoff: Clearly communicate the emotional benefit upfront whether it’s exhilaration, laughter, calm, or awe. The promise: The experience must meet expectations or risk disappointment and audience churn.

Reframe: Entertainment pinpoints three emotional zones shaping how Australians choose entertainment:

Anchor: Provides comfort, familiarity, and a sense of safety, helping audiences slow down and recover from overstimulation.

Escape: Offers a chance to step outside reality, indulge, play, or disappear into another world.

Unleash: Heightens emotions to break through numbness, giving audiences permission to feel everything more intensely.

Bethan Hockey, Senior Research Director at The Growth Distillery, said the findings reflect a shifting consumer mindset across music, cinema, streaming, gaming, and sport.

“In an overloaded entertainment landscape spanning music, cinema, streaming, gaming and sport, audiences are increasingly unwilling to risk wasting their time and money on experiences that might disappoint. Brands that can both signal and consistently deliver on a clear emotional promise won’t just win attention but they’ll earn trust, loyalty and cultural cut-through,” she said

The Growth Distillery is an independent research think-tank powered by News Corp Australia.

Reframe: Entertainment is available to download now here.

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