Streaming platforms are obsessed with romance. Mainly of the scripted variety.
According to new research from Ampere Analysis, 83% of first-time romance commissions in the first half of 2026 were scripted. 40% of these were adapted from books, and this has been the case since 2025 (since 2023, the number of book adaptations has increased by 73%, a trend partially driven by the rise of BookTok).
This is a big change from the second half of 2022, which was almost evenly split between reality shows and scripted romance shows. This is despite reality romance formats such as Love Island and Love Is Blind still attracting large numbers of fans.
Unsurprisingly, Prime Video and Netflix are leading the trend in commissioning scripted romances.
The media analysis firm also found that the romance genre has remained “unusually resilient” with viewers in the 18-24 demographic, who are showing the same level of appeal as they did in 2020, despite a decline in interest in other major genres. In the first quarter of 2026, 49% of respondents indicated they were enjoying romance, the same number as in the first quarter of 2020. Meanwhile, over the same period, interest in comedy as well as action and adventure decreased by 9%, and interest in crime and thrillers decreased by 5%.
“Scripted romance shows are now central to the cultural zeitgeist, but none are more important than literary adaptations,” said Mariana Enriquez Denton Bustinza, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis, citing shows like “Off Campus” and “Rivals.” “The continued success of these titles has led global streamers to rethink their approach to commissioning new romance content, moving away from reality TV and towards high-budget scripted shows with established fan bases.”
