December was a really big month for Netflix.
The streaming platform had a strong end to 2020, setting all-time records for total viewership hours and average hours per viewer during December and Christmastime, Nasdaq.com reported.
But unlike past Decembers, Netflix’s success last month didn’t stem from one megahit.
The period drama series “Bridgerton” has been the buzz of Netflix since being released on Christmas — the show is projected to reach 63 million accounts during the first four weeks. That would make “Bridgerton” Netflix’s fifth-biggest original series to date, according to Business Insider.
The family film “We Can Be Heroes,” which also came out on Christmas, is projected to reach 44 million accounts in its first four weeks. But, according to CNET, George Clooney’s sci-fi drama “The Midnight Sky” tops both of those holiday releases, projected to reach 72 million accounts since its premiere on Dec. 11.
Combined, “The Midnight Sky,” “Bridgerton” and “We Can Be Heroes” helped Netflix achieve its biggest December to date. But those titles didn’t reach the immediate popularity of previous December hits like 2019’s “The Witcher,” which reached 76 million accounts during its debut, and the Sandra Bullock film “Bird Box” that more than 89 million households viewed during December 2018, CNET reported.
Netflix’s metrics require some caution, though, as the platform bases its figures on the number of subscribers who watch at least two minutes of a film or TV series — the amount of time the company believes indicates that “the choice was intentional,” according to Vanity Fair.
Netflix switched to this viewership metric in late 2019. Before, the company wouldn’t count something as a view until an account got through 70% of the first episode of a series or a film’s total runtime, according to CNET.
TL;DR:
Business Insider recently reported that based on the two-minute viewership metric, the top five Netflix original series are:
- “The Witcher” season 1 — 76 million
- “Money Heist” season 4 — 65 million
- “Stranger Things” season 3 — 64 million
- “Tiger King” — 64 million
- “Bridgerton” season 1 — 63 million