Netflix to Release Yearly Viewership Data from 2027

Netflix announced it will change its data reporting habits from 2027 onwards. Instead of releasing viewership statistics twice a year, the company will provide one comprehensive yearly report. The change follows assertions from Bloomberg suggesting a decline in viewership for Netflix's original series during their second seasons. Netflix, however, asserted there is no substantial alteration in second-season viewing figures.

Netflix co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, said: "Our second seasons are performing well. It’s prevalent for shows to experience a drop-off from Season 1 to Season 2. But for us, this is more pronounced as we launch our shows on a large scale, reaching a significant audience early on". He also noted that the reduction in viewership from the first season to the second had slightly improved compared to the previous year.

Additionally, the latest report did not include specific viewership data for the platform’s rising number of video podcasts. Instead, they were grouped under the “Other Shows” category. Despite being a relatively new format, the internal data for these shows indicates substantial engagement, particularly during daytime viewings on mobile devices.

In a letter to shareholders, Netflix explained that engagement is crucial to its business. It isn’t simply about the number of view hours but the quality and variety of the offering. These changes are a part of their mission to focus on primary financial metrics – revenue and operating profit. The company confirmed it would continue to report industry-leading title-by-title and total view hours data, including weekly top 10 lists for movies and series across more than 90 countries.