Source: Observer
Last Monday, the streaming giant, Netflix, released the full list of its most-watched TV shows and movies at Code Conference in Beverly Hills, California, USA, with the promise of promoting transparency across the industry.
While viewership data remains to be confidential information that other streaming companies hold close to their core, Netflix co-CEOs Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos, have often pushed for transparency in the industry, leading them to release its data every now and then. Last Monday, during the momentous event, Ted Sarandos unveiled its viewership data and strategy to the public. He first revealed the member account viewership for Netflix’s award-winning shows based on the streamer’s standard two minutes-watched metric within the first 28 days of release. All the shows and the films on the list are Netflix originals.
Bridgerton Season 1, a period piece about nineteenth-century British royalty that is produced by the Grey’s Anatomy creator, Shonda Rhimes, has topped the list with over 82 million member accounts, beating the french series, Lupin Part 1 and The Witcher Season 1, a fantasy series starring Henry Cavill. Along with the list of most-watched TV shows are Sex/Life and Stranger Things 3, garnering over 67 million member accounts. Money Heist Part 4, Tiger King Season 1, The Queen’s Gambit, Sweet Tooth Season 1, and Emily in Paris Season 1 also placed themselves in the sixth to tenth spots of the list. A special mention was made for Netflix’s newest addition to its list of promising shows, Squid Game, having garnered the number 1 spot in most countries since its debut ten days ago. With its commitment to spend $500 million on content in South Korea this year, Squid Game is demonstrating signs that the streaming company’s investment is starting to pay off.
Among the list of most-watched movies, the action film Extraction, starring Chris Hemsworth, stands out the most, garnering over 99 million member accounts. Bird Box, a post-apocalyptic film, follows the lead with 89 million with Spenser Confidential, 6 Underground, and Murder Mystery in the third to fifth spots. The Old Guard, Enola Holmes, Project Power, Army of the Dead, and Fatherhood also landed on the list.
Netflix also released data on overall engagement, which measures the total number of hours spent by viewers in watching a series or film. Bridgerton Season 1 once again topped the list with over 625 million hours of views, followed by Money Heist Part 4 with 619 million and Stranger Things 3 with 582 million. The Witcher Season 1 also snatched the fourth spot with over 541 million views, followed by two seasons of 13 Reasons Why.
In the film category, Bird Box had the highest engagement with 282 million views. Extraction and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino, finished second and third, respectively. Breaking the usual action-adventure and sci-fi blockbuster tandem, The Kissing Booth 2, a romantic comedy film starring Joey King, Joel Courtney, and Jacob Elordi, sneaked its way into the top five with grace.
References:
https://observer.com/2021/09/netflix-ratings-most-popular-watched-films-tv-series-viewership/
https://www.gamesradar.com/most-watched-netflix-shows-movies-list/
