Netflix CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos presented the streamer’s most popular TV series and films, based on two separate metrics, during his appearance at Vox Media’s Code Conference, perVariety.
The first metric takes into account the number of accounts that viewed a certain title in the first 28 days of its release for, at least, two minutes. The other tallied the total amount of hours spent watching a series or movie within the initial 28-day window. Season 1 of the Shonda Rhimes-produced series Bridgerton had the highest number of accounts with 82 million, and the most time viewed with 625 million hours.
The French TV series Lupin finished second with 76 million accounts, while Money Heist: Part 4 came in close second with 619 million hours viewed. As far as movies go, Extraction and Bird Box came in first and second, respectively, on the number of accounts, but swapped spots for hours viewed. Check out the top 10 lists below.
Sarandos also said that Squid Game, the South Korean survival drama series, is on track to become the streamer’s most popular show. “We did not see that coming, in terms of its global popularity,” he said. Squid Game debuted on Sept. 17 and is currently the most watched show globally on the streamer.
In November, Netflix removedChappelle’s Show from the streaming service at the comedian’s request after he complained about not being compensated when the show’s rights were sold to the platform due to his long-standing contract with ViacomCBS. Chappelle’s Show returned to Netflix four months later, and Sarandos touched on the situation, acknowledging, “Very few deals are as bad as that one was,” adding, “I’m betting on our long-term relationship with Dave.”
So, what does the future hold for Netflix? Sarandos said “the next $10 billion” would best suited for investing in movies and shows, instead of venturing down alternative avenues, such as live sports or purchasing an established brand.
