It’s not often that Netflix releases viewership numbers, but when it does, they’re usually huge. Case in point: The streamer boasted that over 45 million accounts watched the Sandra Bullock-starring Bird Box within its first week of release. (Nielsen said otherwise, but the independent figure was still huge.) That number, which only includes viewers who finished at least 70 percent of the film, has since grown to 80 million households — if Bird Box had been released in theaters, it could be one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time.
Netflix also used its just-released earnings report to “selectively release some other highlights as well. Elite, one of the company’s Spanish original shows, has been viewed by more than 20 million member households during the four weeks following its release; the stalker drama You is on track to attract 40 million viewers within four weeks; and Sex Education, which debuted on Netflix a week ago, is also expected to top 40 million viewers within four weeks.” Here’s more from Variety:
These metrics were meant to assure investors that Netflix’s originals strategy is working. “As a result of our success with original content, we’re becoming less focused on 2nd run programming,” the company said in its letter. “We are ready to pay top-of-market prices for second run content when the studios, networks, and producers are willing to sell, but we are also prepared to keep our members ecstatic with our incredible original content if others choose to retain their content for their own services.”
Like with all things Netflix, these numbers should be taken with a slight grain of salt: The self-reported ratings are all internal, with no outside fact-checking. But one thing’s for sure: people love a stalker, even if they shouldn’t.
(Via Variety)
