The era of reality dating shows appears to be giving way to scripted love stories, as global streaming platforms increasingly prioritize romance dramas based on bestselling novels.
According to new research from Ampere Analysis, scripted titles accounted for 83% of all first-run romance commissions in the first half of 2026, marking a dramatic shift from the second half of 2022, when scripted and unscripted romance projects received almost equal numbers of greenlights.
The trend has been driven in large part by younger viewers. Ampere’s data shows that 49% of audiences aged 18-24 watched romantic programming this year, encouraging commissioners to invest in premium scripted series that can generate long-term engagement.
Book adaptations have become a major engine behind the boom, representing more than 40% of all scripted romance commissions since the first half of 2025. The success of series such as Bridgerton, alongside upcoming adaptations including Heated Rivalry and Off Campus, has reinforced publishers’ growing influence on the streaming market.
The broader romance pipeline continues to expand. In recent months, platforms and studios have also moved forward with adaptations of bestselling titles including The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, People We Meet on Vacation, My Oxford Year, The Idea of You, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Maxton Hall – The World Between Us, and The Wolf King, highlighting the industry’s appetite for literary romance with built-in fan communities.
Mariana Enriquez Denton Bustinza, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis, said the continued popularity of literary romance has prompted streamers to rethink their commissioning strategies, shifting investment away from reality dating formats toward higher-budget scripted projects with established audiences.
According to Ampere, tapping into passionate online fandoms not only improves a title’s launch prospects but also extends its cultural relevance through sustained discussion across social media platforms.
