Netflix brings books back to the charts: streaming multiplies sales

The research also returns an updated geography of book discovery. Physical bookshops remain the first meeting place between reader and title, with 38%, but immediately after come TV series and films, at 29%, ahead of word of mouth. Among the younger generation, the phenomenon is growing further: for Gen Z, audiovisual and social media are now parallel channels of cultural orientation.

It is not just marketing. It is a change in the way stories are enjoyed. 68 per cent of readers say they read the book to discover the differences with the audiovisual adaptation; 67 per cent to delve into characters and settings; 66 per cent actually buy the book. Reading is not replaced by viewing: it is extended, prolonged, somehow completed.

Within this framework, Netflix claims a specific role. According to NielsenIQ analysis, the platform's content outperforms the average of other streaming services: +211.4% in the launch period against an average of 193.1%; +138.7% in the medium term; +72.7% in the long term.

"Stories are at the heart of our publishing strategy: we bring films and series to the screen that engage and enthuse audiences. Books have always been one of the richest sources for our film and serial production. This is why we have chosen to rigorously analyse a relationship that is often experienced intuitively: that between the written page and audiovisuals. The research clearly shows that the dialogue between publishing and audiovisuals, through adaptations, broadens the visibility of titles and authors and allows them to reach new audiences. Written and visual storytelling reinforce each other, creating a virtuous complementarity and accompanying the audience in a narrative experience that continues beyond reading and viewing. In this context, Netflix confirms itself as one of the main drivers of discovery and editorial enhancement in the audiovisual sector,' said Tinny Andreatta, Vice President for Italian content at Netflix.

"The research results clearly confirm the strong complementarity between books and audiovisuals, a synergy already known to the industry, but which emerges here with surprising intensity. What is striking is not only the immediate effect, but the continuity of the impact over time and the extent of the behaviour activated,' says Vincenzo Mastrofilippo, NIQ's Customer Success Leader Book.

"Book publishing, as a story factory, is at the heart of cultural production, and this research shows well how audiovisuals are an important tool to make the most of publishers' catalogues, going so far as to multiply, triple in some cases, the sales of the titles involved. As the Study Office of the Italian Publishers' Association, we had in the past carried out research on individual titles and individual publishing cases, and it was clear to us how important the synergies between films, TV series and books were: the research commissioned by Netflix shows well how this mutually reinforcing effect is now systematic,' concluded Giovanni Peresson, Head of the Study Office of Aie.