Netflix reveals its most-watched original series, movies

When it comes to measuring viewership numbers for its original movies and series, Netflix follows a rather relaxed/convenient methodology. The OTT platform counts watching two minutes of a show or a movie as one view. Right from the top of our heads we can think of at least five shows and movies that we’ve given up on after watching it only for a few minutes, or even an hour. And you know this as well as we do, that really does not count as having “watched” the show or the movie. However, Netflix thinks otherwise.

This makes Netflix’s data “less meaningful” and also explains why they have now moved on to unveil total viewership hours for its top 10 original series and films to prove that most subscribers are watching till the end, and not just two minutes. And this includes, not surprisingly, popular titles like Stranger Things, Money Heist, The Witcher, etc.

At the Vox Media's Code Conference in Los Angeles on Monday, Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos revealed that Bridgerton led the total viewership list with 625 million hours of viewing in the first four weeks after release. Eighty two million households watched Bridgerton in the first 28 days, as Netflix revealed - which averages to 7 hours and 27 minutes. That’s just a little less than the whole season’s run-time! Bridgerton Season 1 ran for 8 hours and 10 minutes in total.

Sandra Bullock’s Bird Box was the top Netflix original movie with 282 million hours watched in the first 28 days. Bird Box was watched by 89 million Netflix subscribers within the first four weeks, and the average there is 3 hours and 10 minutes which is much longer than its 2 hours and 4 minutes runtime. This suggests repeat viewership. Chris Hemsworth's Extraction most-watched movie with 99 million households, came in second with 231 million hours. That's an average of 2 hours and 20 minutes, slightly more than its 1 hour and 57 minutes runtime.

Things were also the same with both Money Heist season 4 (619 million hours) and Stranger Things 3 (582 million hours). The hit Spanish series, watched by 65 million Netflix members in the first 28 days, averages out to 9 hours and 31 minutes however Money Heist season 4 was only 6 hours and 38 minutes long. Stranger Things 3 had an average viewing time of 8 hours and 41 minutes, while the third season ran for 7 hours and 29 minutes. Henry Cavill’s Witcher's average viewership was slightly lower than its season 1 runtime.

Here's the full list of Netflix's top 10 most-watched series and movies, in the first four weeks after release, by viewership hours:

Netflix top 10 most-watched series

1. Bridgerton season 1, 625 million

2. Money Heist season 4, 619 million

3. Stranger Things 3, 582 million

4. The Witcher season 1, 541 million

5. 13 Reasons Why season 2, 496 million

6. 13 Reasons Why season 1, 476 million

7. You season 2, 457 million

8. Stranger Things 2, 427 million

9. Money Heist season 3, 426 million

10. Ginny & Georgia season 1, 381 million

Netflix top 10 most-watched movies

1. Bird Box, 282 million

2. Extraction, 231 million

3. The Irishman, 215 million

4. The Kissing Booth 2, 209 million

5. 6 Underground, 205 million

6. Spenser Confidential, 197 million

7. Enola Holmes, 190 million

8. Army of the Dead, 187 million

9. The Old Guard, 186 million

10. Murder Mystery, 170 million