Netflix To Release More Accurate Viewership Data For Original Titles

Netflix has announced that it will change the way it reports viewership statistics and release more accurate figures during its third-quarter earnings call on Tuesday.

This can be a real game-changer as now viewership for new originals will be measured by a total of hours watched by all member accounts instead of its previous 2-minute metric.

As reported by TheStreet.com, this approach is being taken to provide “a better read on viewing engagement and satisfaction.”

So, how had Netflix been calculating its viewership till now?

In an effort to be more transparent with its creatives, Netflix had previously released a letter that categorized its viewers into three categories. The company used to use this to decide which shows got renewed and which ones got canceled. (via The Verge )

In the letter sent to a UK Parliament committee, Netflix mentioned the Starters as “households that watch two minutes of a film or one episode” in any given title. Completers were “households that watch 90 percent of a film or season of a series.”

These are considered the main data points accounting for the first week of a release, followed by the first 28 days. Whereas, Watchers, a more general metric, consisted of “households that watch 70 percent of a movie or one episode in a series.”

This means, for example, that Squid Game became Netflix’s biggest original series based on the viewership of 142 million accounts watching at least two minutes of the series.

This system had previously been criticized a lot when the streamer announced Stranger Things as its biggest series.

So, suppose you decide to watch either Squid Game or Stranger Things, but turn it off within 5-10 minutes because maybe you just couldn’t get into it. But as you passed the 2-minute mark, your view was already counted in the series’ stats that gave it its top spot.

In a letter to its shareholders, Netflix stated,

There is some difference in rankings… but we think engagement measured by hours viewed is a slightly better indicator of the overall success of our titles and member satisfaction. It also matched how outside services measure TV viewing and gives proper credit to rewatching.

Netflix

The rankings changed drastically because of this, as seen in a chart in TheStreet.com report. 13 Reasons Why Season 2 landed in the Top 5 when previously the show wasn’t even in the Top 10. Money Heist also entered the Top 5 list when it previously held the sixth spot.

Well, if this is the case, I sure do hope that Mindhunter returns. Because I can guarantee you, no one who ever starts the series ends it after the 2-minute mark (unless, of course, it’s too graphic for your liking).