The Distribution Arc: How Long Does It Take a Hit Film to Go Free?

By David Markowitz | April 6, 2026
Infographic showing four key statistics from Reelgood's analysis of 7,966 popular films: 9.4-month median time to free streaming, 57% faster window compression since 2020, 2.5-month median for 2025 releases, and 7,966 titles analyzed.

Reelgood analyzed 1.93 million availability windows across 240 platforms (US market) to quantify the streaming industry’s best-kept open secret: the windowing clock is accelerating, and the data tells a different story than most licensing teams assume. Key Takeaways The median time from a popular movie’s first paid availability to its first free/AVOD appearance is 9.4…

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