This Valentine’s Day, love is not just in the air, but on our screens. Ampere’s SVoD Analytics data indicates that subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) services in the USA are now offering more Romance movie titles to audiences than ever before. Prior to 2024, the highest available volume of Romance movie hours was in Q2 2023—nearly 7,300 hours—but this total has been beaten consistently since Q2 2024, reaching almost 8,900 hours at year-end. This analysis is based on the content offers of major streamers Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Peacock, Apple, Disney+, Paramount+ and Max and eight other US streamers.

The bulk of this increase is thanks to Amazon Prime Video (the largest provider of hours at 4,100), which has rapidly grown the size of its catalogue of Romance movies since the beginning of 2024. However, while Amazon remains the leading provider, accounting for 46% of available hours in Q4 2024, other streamers have also gained ground. Netflix, Peacock, and Hulu are expanding their libraries of Romance content to satiate the growing global appetite for feel-good and emotionally engaging stories.

The growth in the accumulation and promotion of Romance content by US streamers also reflects consumer preferences more widely, with US audiences reporting major interest in the genre, per data from Ampere’s Consumer survey. At Q3 2024,10.6% of US 18-24 year-olds reported Romance to be their favourite genre, making it the second most favourited genre among that demographic (tied with Comedy), highlighting the genre’s ability to attract younger consumers to streaming platforms—and keep them there.

Given this, it is perhaps unsurprising how prominent Romance content is: It is now the second-most populated movie genre across US SVoD service catalogues, behind only Crime & Thriller. As Romance titles are typically cheaper to produce than other film genres, relying on heartfelt emotion rather than big spectacle, services can appeal to the genre’s ardent fans while not over-extending their original content budgets. Meanwhile, acquired older titles also create value for services hosting them, with seasonal interest around Valentine’s Day (and indeed date-nights year-round) driving audiences to rewatch the classics.