Netflix Urges More Data Transparency from Competitors; What Are the Most Watched Series and Movies in Netflix History?
One of the issues at the center of both the ongoing Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes is the lack of transparency between streaming services and creators in terms of how many people are watching shows and movies. The unions argue that by keeping nearly all viewership data under lock and key, streamers are making it impossible to know just how successful any given title is, and in turn, how much money artists should be making.
Late last month, Netflix adjusted how it calculated its top-10 lists, focusing on individual views, rather than solely viewing time. While this is still not nearly as insightful as third-party ratings from research companies like Nielsen, it is still more than the vast majority of media outfits that own streaming services provide.
As part of the company’s second-quarter earnings report that was released on Wednesday, the world’s largest streamer encouraged its competitors to follow suit and provide more insight into its viewership for both the people who work on the titles and the public at large.
“We believe sharing this engagement data on a regular basis helps talent and the broader industry understand what success looks like on Netflix,” the streamer said, “and we hope that other streamers become more transparent about engagement on their services over time.”
To further prove its commitment to semi-open data sharing, Netflix revealed the top 10 original movies and seasons of television in the services’ history by views.
What Are the Most Watched Seasons of Original TV on Netflix?
Data as of July 19, 2023
No. 1: ‘Squid Game’ Season 1 | Views: 265,200,000 | Hours: 2,205,200,000
Squid Game
Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children’s games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits — with deadly high stakes.
No. 2: ‘Wednesday’ Season 1 | Views:252,100,000 | Hours: 1,718,800,000
Wednesday
Wednesday Addams is sent to Nevermore Academy, a bizarre boarding school where she attempts to master her psychic powers, stop a monstrous killing spree of the town citizens, and solve the supernatural mystery that affected her family 25 years ago — all while navigating her new relationships.
No. 3: ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 | Views: 140,700,000 | Hours: 1,838,000,000
Stranger Things
When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.
No. 4: ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ | Views: 115,600,000 | Hours: 1,031,100,000
Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
This series examines the gruesome and horrific true crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and the systemic failures that enabled one of America’s most notorious serial killers to continue his murderous spree in plain sight for over a decade.
No. 5: ‘Bridgerton’ Season 1 | Views: 113,300,000 | Hours: 929,300,000
Bridgerton
Wealth, lust, and betrayal set in the backdrop of Regency era England, seen through the eyes of the powerful Bridgerton family.
No. 6: ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ | Views: 112,800,000 | Hours: 746,400,000
The Queen’s Gambit
In a 1950s orphanage, a young girl reveals an astonishing talent for chess and begins an unlikely journey to stardom while grappling with addiction.
No. 7: ‘Money Heist’ Part 4 | Views: 106,000,000 | Hours: 710,200,000
Money Heist
To carry out the biggest heist in history, a mysterious man called The Professor recruits a band of eight robbers who have a single characteristic: none of them has anything to lose. Five months of seclusion - memorizing every step, every detail, every probability - culminate in eleven days locked up in the National Coinage and Stamp Factory of Spain, surrounded by police forces and with dozens of hostages in their power, to find out whether their suicide wager will lead to everything or nothing.
No. 8: ‘Lupin’ Part 1 | Views: 99,500,000 | Hours: 396,300,000
Lupin
Inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief Assane Diop sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.
No. 9 ‘Money Heist’ Part 5 | Views: 99,200,000 | Hours: 900,700,000
Money Heist
To carry out the biggest heist in history, a mysterious man called The Professor recruits a band of eight robbers who have a single characteristic: none of them has anything to lose. Five months of seclusion - memorizing every step, every detail, every probability - culminate in eleven days locked up in the National Coinage and Stamp Factory of Spain, surrounded by police forces and with dozens of hostages in their power, to find out whether their suicide wager will lead to everything or nothing.
No. 10 ‘The Night Agent’ Season 1 | Views: 98,200,000 | Hours: 803,200,000
The Night Agent
While monitoring an emergency line, a vigilant FBI agent answers a call that plunges him into a deadly conspiracy involving a mole at the White House.
What Are the Most Watched Netflix Original Movies?
Data as of July 19, 2023
No. 1: ‘Red Notice’ | Views: 230,900,000 | Hours: 454,200,000
Red Notice
An Interpol-issued Red Notice is a global alert to hunt and capture the world’s most wanted. But when a daring heist brings together the FBI’s top profiler and two rival criminals, there’s no telling what will happen.
No. 2: ‘Don’t Look Up’ | Views: 171,400,000 | Hours: 408,600,000
Don’t Look Up
Two low-level astronomers (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.
This movie boasts an all-star cast including Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Cate Blanchett, and Meryl Streep.
No. 3: ‘The Adam Project’ | Views: 157,600,000 | Hours: 281,000,000
The Adam Project
After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed teams up with his 12-year-old self on a mission to save the future.
No. 4: ‘Bird Box’ | Views: 157,400,000 | Hours: 325,300,000
Bird Box
Five years after an ominous unseen presence drives most of society to suicide, a survivor and her two children make a desperate bid to reach safety.
No. 5: ‘The Gray Man’ | Views: 139,300,000 | Hours: 299,500,000
The Gray Man
When a shadowy CIA agent uncovers damning agency secrets, he’s hunted across the globe by a sociopathic rogue operative who’s put a bounty on his head.
No. 6: ‘We Can Be Heroes’ | Views: 137,300,000 | Hours: 231,200,000
We Can Be Heroes
When alien invaders capture Earth’s superheroes, their kids must learn to work together to save their parents - and the planet.
No. 7: ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ | Views: 136,300,000 | Hours: 320,300,000
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
World-famous detective Benoit Blanc heads to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire and his eclectic crew of friends.
No. 8: ‘Extraction’ | Views: 135,700,000 | Hours: 266,900,000
Extraction
Tyler Rake, a fearless mercenary who offers his services on the black market, embarks on a dangerous mission when he is hired to rescue the kidnapped son of a Mumbai crime lord.
No. 9: ‘The Mother’ | Views: 131,600,000 | Hours: 256,600,000
The Mother
A deadly female assassin comes out of hiding to protect the daughter that she gave up years before, while on the run from dangerous men.
No. 10: ‘Spenser Confidential’ | Views: 129,100,000 | Hours: 238,900,000
Spenser Confidential
Spenser, a former Boston patrolman who just got out from prison, teams up with Hawk, an aspiring fighter, to unravel the truth behind the death of two police officers.
Netflix
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.