The Surviving Mann Franchise
Five years ago, over Fourth of July weekend 2021, American Stories Entertainment launched its first block of programming on its owned & operated apps with no name recognition, no ad budget, and no playbook.
This July marks five years since that launch. Here’s a short glimpse of what our audience has built in that time.
Country Ball
Since June 2023, ASE programming has generated more than 100 million minutes watched – the equivalent of 190 years of continuous viewing.
That’s with a minimal promotional budget, and across only a fraction of ASE’s full distribution footprint. In what is a known, and widespread industry occurrence, most platforms carrying ASE shows don’t report viewership data back at all, so this 100+ million minutes is only the viewing we know about.
Wild Shots
Minutes watched isn’t a vanity number. It can’t be bought with impressions or inflated with bot traffic. This means people aren’t just discovering ASE shows, they’re staying with them, episode after episode, season after season.
The Same Pattern Shows Up Everywhere Our Audience Gathers
Across social platforms, ASE’s audience doesn’t just scroll past. It acts:
- Instagram reach: 85x follower count (industry average: 1–2x)
- Instagram engagement rate: 6.58% (benchmark: 0.30–0.48%)
- X/Twitter engagement rate: 1,136% (~20x benchmark)
- YouTube interaction rate: 47.95% (benchmark: 2–5%)
- Monthly social views: 4.1M+ on a sub-$3K monthly marketing spend including personnel
Boom America
“These aren’t just vanity metrics. They’re proof that real American stories, told with grit, heart, and excellence, drive viewers to show up and stay,” said Bob Cefail, CEO of American Stories Entertainment. “Our audience doesn’t just watch. They engage, share, and act. That’s the foundation we’re building sustainable growth and meaningful partnerships on.”
That audience is showing up for a growing slate: hit series like Surviving Mann, Wild Shots, Farm Hero, Country Ball, The Big Reveal, and Boom America, with new seasons and new shows already in the pipeline as ASE heads into its sixth year.
Farm Hero
None of this happens without the people who showed up first. The viewers who gave an unknown show a chance. The cast and crew who told these stories right. And the partners who bet on us before there were numbers worth betting on.
Five years in and we’re just getting started. Here’s to the next five, and to the five, ten, twenty-five, and even fifty-five, after that 😉
Thank you all for being part of the story. And welcome to those yet to join in.
