Whether Due to Strikes or Nostalgia, Licensed Dominated Streaming Viewership in 2023
‘Suits’ was the top acquired streaming program of the year, with more than 57 billion minutes streamed on Netflix and Peacock.
A lot happened in the streaming world in 2023. A shift in priorities took hold across the industry, as streaming providers realized they must figure out how to become profitable — and fast — to rehabilitate their stock prices. All of that happened against the backdrop of strikes by Hollywood’s largest writer and actor unions, and both of those factors combined to aid the rise of a potent programming segment: acquired content. Licensed shows like “Suits” took audiences by storm in 2023, and data compiled by Nielsen about streaming viewership last year provides good insight into what watchers can expect from their favorite streamer in 2024.
- “Suits” was the top acquired title in terms of time streamed during 2023, having been watched for 57.7 billion minutes.
- “Ted Lasso” was the most-watched streaming original of the year, with 16.9 billion minutes streamed.
- Disney continued to dominate the streaming movies chart, with six of the top 10 movies of the year streaming on Disney+.
Which TV Shows and Movies Were Streamed Most in 2023?
There’s been no shortage of stories about how well “Suits” performed once it became available on Netflix. The show accumulated 57.7 billion minutes of viewing time in 2023 on Netflix and Peacock, which continues to host the series as well. Seven of the top-10 acquired series of the year stream on Netflix, which is why the company’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos said last week that Netflix was “open for business” for more licensed content.
The prominent placement of “Bluey” on the list continues to indicate that parents find Disney+ an indispensable part of their household entertainment suite. “Bluey” was the top streaming title for kids on the list with 43.9 billion minutes streamed, which handily beats “Cocomelon” and the 36.3 billion minutes it was watched for on Netflix.
In terms of originals, strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA clearly had their effect on the number of titles produced. The final season of “Ted Lasso,” which was released before the strikes went into effect, was the most-watched streaming original of the year, pulling in 16.9 billion minutes streamed. That’s especially impressive given the smaller scale of Apple TV+ relative to other streaming platforms; Apple TV+ does not reveal its subscriber total publicly, but estimates place it in the neighborhood of 40 million customers, a far cry from Netflix’s recently reported 260.28 million global customers.
Netflix asserts its dominance in the category of streaming originals, as well. Seven of the top 10 streaming originals on Nielsen’s 2023 list are found on Netflix, though none of them come close to “Stranger Things” Season 4, the top streaming original of 2022 which compiled more than 52 billion minutes of streaming time. Netflix made several high-profile licensing deals in 2023, including an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery to stream HBO originals like “Band of Brothers” and “Six Feet Under.”
Disney+ continued to prove its value to parents with its movie library. Nielsen’s data shows that six of the top 10 movies of 2023 are found on Disney’s flagship streamer, including the No. 1 overall movie of the year “Moana,” which was streamed for 11.6 billion minutes. That highlights Disney’s struggles to strike gold with any of its more recent animated titles, but the Mouse House can take some consolation in dominating the top 10 list. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which came to streaming in August and thus had less time to compile views, still managed to climb to third on the list with 8.8 billion minutes streamed on Peacock and Netflix.
What Can 2023’s Data Tell Us about Streaming in 2024?
Licensed content is likely to continue ruling the streaming scene in 2024. Streaming commissions have plummeted thanks to the strikes, which means there will simply be less original content on your favorite platform this year. Licensing titles is also much cheaper than creating a new show from scratch, and as all companies are looking to boost revenues, it may be even harder to know which platform is hosting your favorite show in a given month going forward, as licensing is bound to increase.
It must be pointed out that licensed titles often have hundreds of episodes available, whereas streaming originals with shorter seasons frequently have with 50 episodes or less. That gives acquired shows a big advantage when just measuring by minutes streamed, so audiences shouldn’t read Nielsen’s data as a sign that streamers will abandon original content. In fact, the global streaming content spend is expected to rise in 2024.
But Hollywood will take time to get back into the swing of making new shows and movies, and streaming platforms are no exception. Lower commissions for new streaming titles means fewer new releases in 2024, which means licensed titles will continue to be popular, even if they aren’t quite as hot as they were in 2023.
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.