What does all major video-streaming platforms on the web have in common? Besides being able to stream content directly to users, wherever they are and at anytime, there is one thing they all have.
And that is a metric that shows how many people view certain videos.
These metrics act like counter, and can be used to either represent the the current number of concurrent viewers watching a livestream in real-time, or the number of total views of on-demand videos.
Showing these numbers is like a social proof, and a necessity to inform users about engagements and performance.
In also creates a sense of community and excitement. Seeing others joining can encourage participation and make the viewing experience more interactive.
This time, all major video platforms show these counters, because Netflix finally becomes part of the crowd.
Netflix has always been why about how well its content perform once they're released.
While the streaming giant could claim a show had been watched for millions of hours or that it had catapulted up its Top 10 for weeks at a time, but fans and analysts could take its words for granted. They could only make their own best guesses using ancillary data.
People could only judge shows on their own terms.
This time, things change.
But unlike others that show metrics right beneath videos, Netflix is making the approach its own way.
Here, the streaming giant released a report dubbed "What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report", which covers six months of data and includes hours viewed for every title (original and licensed) watched.
In total, Netflix's report covers 18,221 titles.
These represent 99% of all viewing on Netflix, accounting to nearly 100 billion hours viewed.
Instead of real-time data, Netflix wants to provide a biannual data about how content in its platform perform.
The first on its list, is The Night Agent: Season 1.
The series, which is about an FBI agent who answers a call that plunges him into a deadly conspiracy, was only released in March 2023, but managed to garner a staggering 812.100.000 hours viewed.
This is followed by Ginny & Georgia: Season 2 with 665.100.000 hours viewed, The Glory: Season 1 // 더 글로리: 시즌 1 with 622.800.000 hours viewed, Wednesday: Season 1 with 507.700.000 hours viewed, and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story with 503.000.000 hours viewed.
Surprisingly, 2022’s cultural behemoth Squid Game: Season 1 // 오징어 게임: 시즌 1 is placed at the 126th position, and maybe not surprisingly, Harry & Meghan didn't make it to the list.
In all, Netflix rounded the hours viewed counter to the nearest 100,000 hours.
Netflix that has finally started to open up with its new biannual Engagement Report, first coverts the performances of titles from January through June 2023, and tracks global viewership for all Netflix titles.
Read: South Korea Broadband Sued Netflix Following The Popularity Of 'Squid Game': A $25 Billion Pledge
