'Cobra Kai' tops 'Encanto' in heavy holiday streaming week
The Christmas-to-New-Year stretch was a big one for streaming viewership, with Nielsen's time tracking hitting an all-time high - and three programs streaming over 2 billion minutes each.
And that was led by Netflix's (NASDAQ:NFLX)
Cobra Kai, benefiting from its new fourth-season premiere to lead all streaming programs in Nielsen's most recent weekly streaming ratings (for Dec. 27-Jan. 2). The Karate Kid sequel series streamed 2.423 billion minutes for the week, besting heavy competition from Disney+ (NYSE:DIS) and its new film Encanto (2.198 billion minutes) and Netflix's all-star film Don't Look Up (2.024 billion).
Even the runners-up were no slouch in the holiday week: Fourth-best was The Witcher (1.827 billion minutes) and Emily in Paris (1.11 billion), both from Netflix.
Rounding out the overall top 10 were: No. 6, CoComelon (NFLX), with 751 million minutes; No. 7, NCIS (NFLX), with 730 million; No. 8, Criminal Minds (NFLX), with 636 million; No. 9, The Wheel of Time
(NASDAQ:AMZN), with 630 million; and No. 10, Seinfeld (NFLX), with 561 million.
Netflix is used to sweeping the acquired-series sub-chart, and it took the top nine spots there, led by CoComelon, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Seinfeld and Grey's Anatomy. But Disney+ cracks the list at No. 10 with Bluey (328 million minutes streamed).
The original-series sub-chart is again more diverse. While Netflix tops it with Cobra Kai, The Witcher and Emily In Paris, Amazon Prime Video (AMZN) is fourth with The Wheel of Time, just ahead of Disney's Hawkeye (539 million minutes). Disney also landed at No. 8 with the series premier of The Book of Boba Fett, which streamed 389 million minutes despite a short (for a prestige series) 38-minute run time.
The movie chart again featured three streamers. Disney topped it with Encanto beating Netflix's Don't Look Up, but Disney+ also placed Ron's Gone Wrong at No. 3 (378 million minutes), just ahead of Amazon's Lucille Ball biopic Being the Ricardos (371 million). Disney also made the list with some oldies but goodies: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings at No. 9 with 260 million minutes streamed, and Jungle Cruise at No. 10 with 229 million minutes.
(A reminder that Nielsen streaming ratings incorporate viewing from five major streamers: Amazon Prime Video (AMZN), Apple TV+ (NASDAQ:AAPL), Disney+ (DIS), Hulu (DIS, CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX).)
Netflix was also in the news Friday with its plan to team up with Mattel Films on a new live-action movie in the Masters of the Universe franchise.