Netflix has for the first time released details of the performance of its programs, covering 18,000 titles with almost 100 billion hours of viewing.
This is a significant move for the future of Netflix’s advertising supported subscription model and will inform content creators on what sells.
Analysts say the Netflix’s twice yearly data dump will mean publicity and more mindshare in the media-buying community.
“While large advertisers will insist on third-party measurement, small and medium advertisers have a lower bar and may not require it,” according to Variety, quoting New Street Research.
Advertising membership increased 70% in the September quarter, accounting for 30% of all new sign-ups in the 12 countries offering advertising supported subscriptions.
The streaming platform has since 2021 released a Top 10 and Most Popular. Now Netflix will publish What We Watched twice a year, reporting on 99% of all viewing.
“This is a big step forward for Netflix and our industry,” the company says.
“We believe the viewing information in this report — combined with our weekly Top 10 and Most Popular lists — will give creators and our industry deeper insights into our audiences, and what resonates with them.”
The most popular program among Netflix's 223.1 million audience was The Night Agent with more than 812 million hours viewed.
Netflix cautioned that success is not determined by hours viewed alone.
“We have enormously successful movies and TV shows with both lower and higher hours viewed,” the company says.
“It’s all about whether a movie or TV show thrilled its audience — and the size of that audience relative to the economics of the title.
“To compare between titles it’s best to use our weekly Top 10 and Most Popular lists, which take into account run times and premiere dates.”
More than 60% of Netflix titles released between January and June 2023 appeared on weekly Top 10 lists.
The trends:
- The strength of returning favourites including Ginny & Georgia, Alice in Borderland, The Marked Heart, Outer Banks, You, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, XO Kitty and film sequels Murder Mystery 2 and Extraction 2;
- The popularity of new series such The Night Agent, The Diplomat, Beef, The Glory, Alpha Males, FUBAR and Fake Profile, which generate huge audiences and fandoms;
- The size of the audience of films across every genre including The Mother, Luther: The Fallen Sun, You People, AKA, ¡Que viva México! and Hunger;
- The enthusiasm for non-English stories, which generated 30% of all viewing;
- The staying power of titles on Netflix, which extends well beyond their premieres. All Quiet on the Western Front debuted in October 2022 and generated 80 million hours viewed between January and June; and
- The demand for older, licensed titles.
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