Stranger Things remains Netflix's golden goose. Photo: Netflix
Netflix is giving data lovers a Christmas gift: audience figures for almost its entire catalog of films and TV shows. That's a lot of numbers—and, importantly, it marks a remarkable turnaround for a company that was known to defend its statistics so fiercely.
Topping the list is Night Agent, a surprise thriller that attracted millions of Netflix subscribers without receiving any critical attention. In the first six months of 2023, it racked up 812 million «watching hours» (the metric by which Netflix measures the popularity of a show or movie).
The watch-hours model has its downsides. The emphasis on running time favors series over films and drama over comedy, which tends to consist of shorter 30-minute segments. Still, even with this caveat, Night Agent's success should be regarded as a shock given its relative obscurity.
The same can be said about the second season of Ginny & Georgia, an old comedy series about a mother and her family who move to an affluent Massachusetts suburb. According to Rolling Stone magazine, «it appears to have been created by the streaming service's algorithm.»
Despite its obscurity, it ranks second in the countdown, racking up more than 100 million more hours watched in the first half of 2023 than Tim Burton's more celebrated Wednesday, which clocks in at four hours. There are also many reality shows in the top 20, including “Love is Blind” and “Crash Course in Romance.” Overall, Netflix's own original content accounts for 55 percent of hours watched, with the rest coming from licensed shows (like Friends and Seinfeld).
The biggest surprise, however, is that Netflix is making this information public at all. The company has historically been cagey about its data. This reluctance to provide a detailed breakdown of viewership figures became a point of contention during the recent writers' and actors' strike. Unions want their members to be paid more for successful shows, but how can they tell the hits from the flops if Netflix and its competitors keep that information under lock and key?
According to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, the shift to a more open approach to data was part of a «continuum» as the corporation moves into the next phase of its development. He initially said: “It wasn’t in our interest to be so transparent because we were building a new business and didn’t want to give competitors a road map. The authors liked it too, because they were free from the pressure of ratings.»
Dahmer's true crime hit was watched 64 million hours. Photo: Netflix
However, over time, Netflix's black box-like viewership stance caused tension with the show's producers and runners. “An unintended consequence of not being more transparent about our collaboration has been, over time, the creation of a climate of mistrust between producers, creators and the press about what is happening at Netflix.”
Netflix opened the door by providing weekly «Top 10″ reviews of the most-watched shows and movies. But the new data is much more complete. Sarandos said. “So we open up things like the top ten list. And keep in mind that we're sharing this data with all of our creators in even more detail.»
This new information reinforces Netflix's strategy of striking lucrative deals with big-name producers. For example, Shonda Rhimes' «Queen Charlotte,» a spin-off of her Regency-era «Bridgertons,» has racked up half a billion hours watched and ranks fifth on the leaderboard as of the end of June 2023.
«Queen Charlotte: The Bridgerton Story» received more than half a billion hours
Ryan Murphy's Damer, in turn, was watched 64 million hours. This is impressive considering it was released in September 2022. There must be some Meghan Markle fans too. Its corny legal drama Suits racked up 127 million hours watched, although it only returned to Netflix in June, at the end of the period covered.
The analysis also provides insight into Netflix's logic in canceling seemingly high-profile franchises. When the company recently pulled the plug on steampunk fantasy Shadow and Bone, there was an outcry. According to Netflix metrics, it was the 26th most watched show in the world with 192 million hours. However, further analysis shows that only 10 percent of Netflix's international subscriber base took advantage of it. Hence the decision to fight back.
Despite all the surprises, much of the list is predictable. , however. The breakup confirms that Stranger Things remains the Netflix giant that rules them all. In the first six months, the fourth season collected 134 million hours. Meanwhile, the original season has 78 million hours behind it. This is a solid result considering it came out seven years ago. Streamers like Netflix may always be looking to the future. But these results show that even in this brave new world, you can always count on good old people.
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