There was a time when Netflix shared little or no about what subscribers had been watching on its service. When Home of Playing cards was launched 10 years in the past, the streaming large proclaimed that it was a success—essentially the most streamed title on Netflix—however declined to disclose simply what number of of its then 36 million subscribers had watched the present. “There’s no actual enterprise cause for us to report these numbers,” Ted Sarandos, now the corporate’s co-CEO, instructed reporters on the time.
However through the years, Netflix has discovered that there is a cause to share some selective viewership information. In 2021, the corporate started publishing prime 10 lists as a result of, partly, it had found that its subscribers preferred to know what different folks had been watching. And in September, in an effort to finish the 148 day writers strike, Netflix was considered one of a number of streamers that agreed to share viewership information with the Writers Guild of America that will be used to pay scribes a brand new streaming bonus.
Now, Netflix is sharing its most complete look but at what its 247 million subscribers are watching. In a brand new report out Tuesday, the streamer has revealed a close to complete checklist of the unique and licensed titles considered on its platform for the primary half of 2023. The inaugural report—which will probably be launched twice yearly going ahead—shares viewership information for 18,000 motion pictures and TV exhibits, which the corporate says represents 99% of all viewing on its service from January by way of June.
“We have been getting more and more an increasing number of clear about what individuals are watching on Netflix,” Sarandos instructed press throughout a convention name to announce what it’s calling What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report. “Once we began in streaming 16 years in the past, it was a fairly unique proposition. There have been no different streamers to match to us, and evaluating stay TV or stay plus seven to Netflix on demand was like evaluating apples to oranges. However as we have grown and streaming has turn into extra mainstream within the US, it makes up extra TV time than cable or broadcast, so we have turn into far more open. Two years in the past, in November of 2021, we began publishing our prime 10 checklist and our most-watched titles throughout movie and tv, in addition to our hottest checklist. We additionally privately share far more detailed info, title-specific info with our creators. However we wished to go even additional, and that is what we’re right here for at the moment.”
Listed here are among the revelations from the report: Season considered one of The Evening Agent was the most-viewed title on the platform through the first six months of the 12 months, with greater than 812 million hours considered. The opposite titles within the prime 5 embody Ginny & Georgia (Season 2), The Glory (Season 1), Wednesday (Season 1), and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Essentially the most-viewed movie was Jennifer Lopez starrer The Mom, with practically 250 million hours considered.
It’s not simply originals that carry out effectively on Netflix. Throughout the six-month interval, 45% of viewing got here from licensed titles, stated Lauren Smith, Netflix’s vp of technique and evaluation. A few of the hottest had been youngsters exhibits like PAW Patrol and CoComelon, in addition to cable stalwarts The Strolling Useless, Fits, and Breaking Unhealthy.
There are additionally many titles that garnered a lot much less consideration from Netflix’s subscriber base. The report solely consists of exhibits that had been watched for over 50,000 hours. The underside of the checklist options a number of worldwide titles that weren’t launched globally, in addition to some previous stand-up specials and licensed motion pictures. “Success can are available all sizes and shapes as a result of our member base is so massive and numerous,” stated Smith, pointing to 2 French titles, En Place and Rhythm & Circulate, that aren’t within the prime 1,000 titles however “each thrilled our French members.”
Though the report gives essentially the most complete take a look at viewership on Netflix so far, it nonetheless doesn’t paint an entire image of recognition on the platform. Wednesday, for instance, is Netflix’s most-popular English-language TV present so far, however ranked No. 4 through the report interval as a result of it was launched greater than a month earlier, in November 2022. The report additionally depends on the “hours considered” metric, which gives a broad image of what Netflix subscribers are watching—however doesn’t point out how a lot of its membership base tuned in, or what number of viewers watched a title all through.
The report additionally solely paperwork viewership on a worldwide scale. Sarandos stated Netflix doesn’t plan to launch country-level lists, “as a result of it’s an unlimited quantity of intelligence for competitors functions.”
Even so, Netflix releases extra information than its streaming rivals. And Sarandos stated the report ought to assist folks higher perceive what’s resonating with Netflix subscribers. “I do assume this can be a good reflection of the success of our exhibits,” he stated. “We actually do run the enterprise attempting to please our members, and we predict the easiest way to guage that’s: do the flicks and exhibits that we produce or license thrill these members in such a method that they keep engaged? Hardly anyone turns off issues that they love, and hardly anybody watches issues that they hate when it’s really easy to change to one thing else. So we predict that is essentially the most correct reflection of that.”
