British Shows Dominate Netflix’s Ratings in First Half of 2024
‘Baby Reindeer,’ ‘Bridgerton,’ and ‘Fool Me Once’ were the most-watched titles on Netflix as revealed by its latest data dump.
Netflix is putting its money where its mouth is. Company co-CEO Ted Sarandos harangued other streaming executives this week for not being more transparent, and Netflix followed up his words by following through with another data dump regarding how much viewership it received in the first half of 2024. British TV was the biggest genre of the year for the streamer, with titles like “Bridgerton,” “Fool Me Once” and the controversy-generating “Baby Reindeer” compiling tens of millions of views.
Key Details:
- Netflix was watched for 94 billion hours total in the first half of 2024.
- Four of the top 10 series in Netflix’s first half of 2024 were British productions.
- **The top-performing American series was “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
“Fool Me Once” was the top series for Netflix in the first half of the year, garnering 107.5 million views. “Bridgerton” (92 million views), “Baby Reindeer” (88 million), and “The Gentleman” (76 million) round out the top four.
The data from Netflix helps to confirm data compiled by Deadline and Digital-i, first released in August. That survey found “Baby Reindeer,” “Bridgerton” and “Fool Me Once” were three of the top five most-watched series between January and June, and viewership for TV shows commissioned out of the United Kingdom or where “significant production” was done there rose 40% on Netflix and Prime Video between the second quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.
The live-action remake of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” drew mixed reviews from fans of the franchise when it was released, but it still drew the most views of any American production. It pulled in 71 million views after its late February release, suggesting the company is likely to continue with its attempt to recreate the beloved animated series.
What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report
| Rank | Title | Available Globally? | Release Date | Hours Viewed | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fool Me Once: Limited Series | Yes | Jan. 1, 2024 | 689,500,000 | 6:25 |
| 2 | Bridgerton: Season 3 | Yes | May 16, 2024 | 733,800,000 | 7:59 |
| 3 | Baby Reindeer: Limited Series | Yes | April 11, 2024 | 347,600,000 | 3:58 |
| 4 | The Gentlemen: Season 1 | Yes | March 7, 2024 | 507,300,000 | 6:41 |
| 5 | Avatar The Last Airbender: Season 1 | Yes | Feb. 22, 2024 | 515,300,000 | 7:15 |
| 6 | Griselda: Limited Series | Yes | Jan. 25, 2024 | 383,000,000 | 5:32 |
| 7 | American Nightmare: Season 1 | Yes | Jan. 17, 2024 | 123,700,000 | 2:15 |
| 8 | 3 Body Problem: Season 1 | Yes | March 21, 2024 | 388,100,000 | 7:24 |
| 9 | Berlin: Season 1 // Berlín: Temporada 1 | Yes | Dec. 29, 2023 | 318,400,000 | 6:34 |
| 10 | One Day: Limited Series | Yes | Feb. 8, 2024 | 263,000,000 | 6:40 |
| 11 | Bridgerton: Season 1 | Yes | Dec. 25, 2020 | 314,500,000 | 8:12 |
| 12 | Bridgerton: Season 2 | Yes | March 25, 2022 | 290,900,000 | 8:30 |
| 13 | The Asunta Case: Limited Series // El caso Asunta: Miniserie | Yes | April 26, 2024 | 166,300,000 | 5:25 |
| 14 | Queen of Tears: Limited Series // 눈물의 여왕: 리미티드 시리즈 | Yes | March 9, 2024 | 682,600,000 | 23:22 |
| 15 | Peppa Pig: Season 6 | No | 56,000,000 | 2:02 | |
| 16 | My Life With the Walter Boys: Season 1 | Yes | Dec. 7, 2023 | 206,800,000 | 7:37 |
| 17 | Eric: Limited Series | Yes | May 30, 2024 | 141,200,000 | 5:21 |
| 18 | Testament: The Story of Moses: Season 1 | Yes | March 27, 2024 | 112,400,000 | 4:16 |
| 19 | Raising Voices: Season 1 // Ni una más: Temporada 1 | Yes | May 31, 2024 | 153,800,000 | 6:03 |
| 20 | Parasyte: The Grey: Limited Series // 기생수: 더 그레이: 리미티드 시리즈 | Yes | April 5, 2024 | 126,800,000 | 5:00 |
| 21 | Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story | Yes | May 4, 2023 | 158,000,000 | 6:29 |
| 22 | The Brothers Sun: Season 1 | Yes | Jan. 4, 2024 | 175,600,000 | 7:20 |
| 23 | CoComelon Lane: Season 1 | Yes | Nov. 17, 2023 | 93,600,000 | 3:55 |
| 24 | Furies: Season 1 | Yes | March 1, 2024 | 139,900,000 | 6:00 |
| 25 | Young Sheldon: Season 1 | No | 166,000,000 | 7:13 |
What About Non-Originals?
Licensed titles continued to show strength for Netflix, a key viewership category for a service whose category is heavy with originals. Shows and movies licensed from other outlets ensure Netflix can continue to focus money on crafting originals while simultaneously keeping customers engaged between the release of those originals.
“Young Sheldon” rose to the 25th spot on the Netflix list, higher even than its most popular unscripted offering “The Roast of Tom Brady.” “Young Sheldon” Season 1 accrued 23 million views during the first half of the year, and viewership stayed nearly consistent for the second season, which racked up 18 million views. “Suits” continued to rack up views, grabbing another 16 million for its first season.
In total, Netflix garnered 94 billion viewing hours in the first half of the year. Its nearly 278 million viewers have streamed a fascinating mix of original titles, live shows, and licensed series, and Netflix continues to be unique amongst its peers by sharing that data instead of keeping it close to the vest.
Netflix
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