In a significant move toward transparency, Netflix has shared detailed viewer data on 99% of its catalogue for the first time, including the most-watched shows and movies in the first half of this year. The streaming giant, previously criticised for its lack of transparency, hopes this initiative will provide deeper insights into audience preferences and foster trust within the creative community.
One standout from the data is “The Night Agent,” a political thriller that accumulated 812 million hours of viewing, making it the most-watched show globally in the first six months of 2023. This release of comprehensive viewing figures is a response to the industry’s demand for greater transparency, a central issue in Hollywood strikes earlier this year.
During a conference call with the media, co-chief executive Ted Sarandos acknowledged that the streaming giant had previously kept its viewer data private while building the business to experiment without revealing critical information to potential competitors. Sarandos emphasised that sharing this data is a significant step forward for Netflix and the industry.
The “What We Watched” report ranks 18,000 titles based on the amount of hours viewed between January and June 2023. The company plans to release this report every six months. Notable entries include “Ginny and Georgia,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Seinfeld,” “Friends,” and “The Office.”
Jennifer Lopez’s “The Mother” claimed the top spot among movies, with over 249 million hours of viewing. The report also highlighted the demand for non-English content, which constituted about a third of all viewing.
Netflix, with nearly 250 million subscribers globally, remains the world’s largest streaming service. The company clarified that success on Netflix is not solely determined by hours viewed, emphasising audience satisfaction and the size of the viewership relative to the title’s economics.
Netflix aims to strengthen its relationship with the creative community by providing regular updates on viewer data, offering a more detailed and frequent look into the performance of its vast content library.
Kiki Garba
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