'Stranger Things' keeps trucking in ratings, but Amazon draws some streaming eyes
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Another week, another several billion minutes streamed of one of Netflix's (NASDAQ:NFLX) biggest hits, as it wrapped up its fourth season last month.
Stranger Things again dominated online viewing in absolute numbers, streaming 4.8B minutes in Nielsen's most recent weekly streaming ratings (for July 4-10). The series has dominated viewing since the release of the first part of its fourth season on May 27, and saw a new surge with the release of the end of the season on July 1.
It was an easy leader for the week, though Amazon Prime Video (NASDAQ:AMZN) made some noise with its latest hits. Second to Stranger Things was Amazon's Chris Pratt series The Terminal List (1.56B minutes streamed). And the finale of Amazon's very adult superhero series The Boys landed it in fourth place with 1.086B minutes, just behind Netflix's (NFLX) The Umbrella Academy with 1.279B minutes.
Rounding out the overall top 10 were many of the usual Netflix (NFLX) streaming suspects: No. 5, Sing 2 (839M minutes); No. 6, NCIS (837M minutes); No. 7, Grey's Anatomy (697M minutes); No. 8, CoComelon (684M minutes); No. 9, Alone (which also aired on Hulu (NYSE:DIS) (CMCSA), 577M minutes); and No. 10, the film Girl in the Picture, 537M minutes.
The acquired-series list used to be 10 Netflix shows - but the streaming leader is seeing some competition from HBO Max on that list. While Netflix's NCIS, Grey's Anatomy, CoComelon and Netflix/Hulu's Alone topped that list, HBO Max (WBD) landed Friends at No. 5, with 512M minutes streamed. HBO Max also placed The Big Bang Theory at No. 9, with 383M minutes.
The original-series list was topped by the Netflix/Amazon shows that led the overall list, but it also featured Disney+ (DIS) at No. 7 with another week of Ms. Marvel (295M minutes streamed), and Hulu (DIS) (CMCSA) landed at No. 10 with Only Murders in the Building (256M minutes).
And the movies chart had more diversity this week as well. While Netflix (NFLX) films took the top four slots - Sing 2, Girl in the Picture, The Sea Beast (430M minutes) and The Man from Toronto (386M minutes) - Disney+ (DIS) hit No. 5 with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (362M minutes) and No. 6 with Encanto (286M minutes). The No. 8 movie, The Dark Knight Rises, streamed 243M minutes airing on Netflix and HBO Max (WBD). And Hulu (DIS) (CMCSA) made a rare movie appearance with Leave No Trace (226M minutes).
(Nielsen streaming ratings now incorporate viewing from six major streamers: Amazon Prime Video (AMZN), Apple TV+ (AAPL), Disney+ (DIS), HBO Max (WBD), Hulu (DIS) (CMCSA), and Netflix (NFLX).)
This week, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) made some news by confirming it would be combining HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single offering starting in summer 2023.