Have you ever wondered what you share in common with millions of other Netflix enthusiasts? Brace yourself for a revelation that’s set to shake the very foundations of your binge-watching routine. In a groundbreaking move, Netflix, often criticized for lack of data transparency about how shows and films perform on its platform, is about to pull back the curtain on your streaming secrets!
In the world of digital entertainment where every click, every pause, every plot twist is meticulously recorded. Netflix, the streaming giant, has just dropped a bombshell. No more shrouded mysteries or guessing games -rather Netflix peels back the layers of secrecy, exposing the deepest corners of its viewership metrics.
In an unprecedented move, Netflix has announced a comprehensive engagement report for the first time ever across all of its catalog. Join us as we decode the pulse of millions in the report “What We Watched” – where numbers tell stories, and Netflix’s secrets are no longer confined to the shadows.
The paradigm shift: Netflix’s bold move towards data transparency
During a 30-minute media conference call, Co-CEO Ted Sarandos took a retrospective look at Netflix’s journey over the past 15 years, particularly in the context of its evolution into the streaming giant we know today. Addressing a long-standing critique, Sarandos acknowledged that the company had faced intense criticism for its historical transparency.
He expressed that the lack of transparent engagement data inadvertently bred an atmosphere of mistrust with producers, creators, and the press over time.
While the company’s recent entry into the advertising business has been a major corporate initiative, the release of the data was not motivated by an effort to appease ad buyers. Marketers have always looked for numbers verified by third parties such as Nielsen.
Engagement report
Netflix has recently unveiled the viewership data for its extensive catalog, marking a significant stride toward increased data transparency, as reported by Deadline.
The latest release, titled “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report,” spans more than 18,000 titles and a staggering nearly 100 billion hours viewed from January to June 2023. The report encompasses essential details, including hours viewed for each title, encompassing both Netflix originals and licensed TV shows and movies, watched for over 50,000 hours during the specified period. Additionally, it provides the premiere date for any Netflix original TV series or film and indicates whether a title was available globally.
The company emphasized that its current Top 10 lists share a substantial overlap with the comprehensive data, noting that 60% of the titles included in the first-half analysis had previously featured in the Top 10 at various points in time.
Netflix stands out as the pioneer in reporting viewer data on such a massive scale. By sharing this valuable insight into their viewership, Netflix aims to foster data transparency, empowering creators with the knowledge of trending programming. The objective is to enable informed decisions for future content initiatives based on the unfiltered raw numbers.
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A game-changer for the industry
“This is a big step forward for Netflix and our industry,” the company wrote in a blog post.
Netflix expressed that the release of its comprehensive viewership report signifies a monumental advancement for both the company and the entertainment sector. The company believes that the wealth of viewing information presented in this report, along with their routine Top 10 and Most Popular lists, will provide creators and the industry at large with profound insights into audience preferences and resonant content.
The longstanding concerns of Hollywood guilds regarding the opaque nature of streaming data were finally addressed. Both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) had pushed for greater transparency.
The analogy often used was that this valuable data was akin to being locked away in a “black box,” accessible primarily to the company seeking ways to boost subscriber numbers and profitability. Netflix, surpassing its streaming counterparts, commenced the publication of its weekly Top 10 lists in 2021. Additionally, its titles are regularly featured in Nielsen’s weekly snapshots.
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Insights of the engagement report
Delving into the revelations of the Netflix viewership data report unveils a captivating landscape of streaming habits and preferences. This groundbreaking report not only sheds light on the raw numbers but also opens a window into the evolving dynamics of global audience engagement.
Netflix data on all titles
The average Netflix user spent 16 days streaming content from January to June this year, according to new data released by the streaming service.
The Netflix viewership data report encompasses titles on the platform with a minimum viewing threshold of 50,000 hours over a six-month period. This report is set to be published semi-annually.
This metric holds the potential to be a vital reference point for SAG-AFTRA members, offering valuable insights when negotiating performance bonuses or renegotiating contracts within the streaming domain.
Studios, too, stand to benefit significantly from this information, gaining a precise understanding of which titles command the most attention from a global audience.
| 10 Most-watched shows on Netflix, January to June 2023 | |
| Title | Hours viewed |
| The Night Agent: Season 1 | 812mn |
| Ginny & Georgia: Season 2 | 665mn |
| The Glory: Season 1 | 623mn |
| Wednesday: Season 1 | 508mn |
| Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story | 503mn |
| You: Season 4 | 441mn |
| La Reina del Sur: Season 3 | 430mn |
| Outer Banks: Season 3 | 403mn |
| Ginny & Georgia: Season 1 | 302mn |
| FUBAR: Season 1 | 266mn |
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Current ranking system
A noteworthy shift in methodology has emerged from the conventional Top 10 lists. In the new report, data is presented in terms of hours viewed, deviating from Netflix’s recent adoption of a different metric for ranking its own Top 10 and Most Popular lists since June.
The company now reports “views,” a calculation derived by dividing hours viewed by the total runtime of the content. This updated approach has gained traction, as both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have incorporated this calculation into their recent contracts with studios, particularly in the context of streaming transparency and the determination of performance bonuses.
In essence, the Netflix Top 10 list is likely to remain unchanged, but the comprehensive viewing data serves to elucidate the intricacies of the ranking methodology. During a call with reporters on Tuesday, Ted Sarando said, “This is probably more information than you need.”
Not a perfect system
While the released data offers valuable insights, it falls short of providing a comprehensive view of the company. The six-month parameters set for the metrics create a subjective measure of popularity.
For instance, the premiere of “Wednesday” occurred in November, yet the hours-viewed metric commences in January. This results in the show ranking lower than the second season of “Ginny & Georgia,” which benefits from its early viewers being factored into the metric.
Notably, Netflix does not plan to dissect the data into month-by-month or country-specific lists. According to Sarandos, such a breakdown would potentially provide strategic information to competitors, prompting the company to maintain a more guarded approach to the dissemination of detailed viewership information.
Bottom line
This transparency not only benefits viewers but also provides valuable insights to shareholders, studios, and acting talent regarding the calculations behind the acclaimed rankings.
But that’s not all. This is just the first chapter of an unfolding saga. Every six months, Netflix promises to lay bare its viewership hierarchy, ranking shows and movies based on the time we’ve collectively spent glued to our screens. It’s a Netflix weekly top 10 on steroids, an unfiltered look into the most popular lists that define our digital entertainment landscape.
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