New model enhances streaming viewership metrics: October’s top rankings revealed

In today’s bustling streaming landscape, it’s challenging to gauge the true popularity of TV shows and movies across different platforms. Each major player has its own way of measuring success, making it difficult to compare results directly.

Comparing viewership apples-to-apples

Netflix is a giant in the streaming world, boasting more than 282 million subscribers by the end of Q3. It releases its own rankings based on total views, while other metrics like Nielsen’s focus on U.S. viewership across multiple streamers. Naturally, due to its vast user base, Netflix tends to dominate these statistics. But how would streaming popularity look if viewership was weighted by the size of each platform?

Introducing the new ranking system

This is where a new ranking system by consulting firm Owl & Co. comes into play. For October, they introduced a fresh metric which aims to provide a more balanced view. This ranking, derived from Luminate’s Streaming Viewership data, involves dividing total views by the platform’s reported or estimated subscribers, resulting in “in-universe ratings.” This method pays homage to Nielsen’s traditional In-Universe Ratings for cable TV and provides a “Live+28 days” perspective. This innovative approach mitigates the advantage Netflix gains from its binge-release strategy, offering a fairer comparison.

Highlighting October’s top performers

The frontrunners

According to the new ranking, Netflix’s hit comedy Nobody Wants This clinched the top spot with an impressive 20.4 in-universe score. Created by Erin Foster and produced by 20th Television, this romantic sitcom has recently been renewed for Season 2. Interestingly, ‘Nobody Wants This’ initially faced rejections from various networks and streamers before Netflix picked it up.

This high score importantly means potential bonuses for writers under the Writers Guild of America (WGA) contract, which rewards shows that exceed a 20% viewership threshold in the first 90 days.

In a surprising twist, Tulsa King Season 2, created by Taylor Sheridan and starring Sylvester Stallone, claimed the second spot despite being on Paramount+.

Following closely, Shrinking Season 2 by Apple TV+ secured third place, featuring a star-studded cast including Jason Segel, Jessica Williams, and Harrison Ford.

Competing contenders

Other notable entries on the list include:

• Apple TV+ dominated several slots with titles like Bad Monkey and Slow Horses Season 4.
• Netflix maintained its presence with Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
• The thriller series Disclaimer from Apple TV+ tied with an 11.2 in-universe rating.

The data showcased that seven streaming originals achieved double-digit in-universe ratings, four of these being from Apple TV+. This rare trend indicates a diversified market where success extends beyond the Netflix behemoth.

The future of streaming metrics

Hernan Lopez, founder of Owl & Co., acknowledges that their new ranking system is still a work in progress. It will continue to evolve in response to industry feedback and interest. This methodological enhancement aims to provide a more accurate and equitable representation of viewership, potentially guiding future content creation and marketing strategies.

Impact and implications

The introduction of such sophisticated metrics could potentially challenge streaming giants to refine their content strategies. As platforms vie for viewer attention in an increasingly competitive market, understanding and adapting to these nuanced data points becomes crucial.

On a broader scale, more weighted and comparative metrics can impact industry standards. Content creators and writers might see more transparent recognition and reward mechanisms, aligning performance metrics with audience engagement more effectively. Such systemic shifts could drive a new era of innovative and audience-aligned content in the streaming domain.

Stay tuned for more updates and insights on how the streaming world evolves with these groundbreaking metrics. Share this article and join the conversation on social media to see how your favorite shows and platforms fare in this new era of streaming analytics!