The Limits of a Twice-Yearly Netflix Viewing Report

Bridgerton will have to settle for second place. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix

If you want to stare at a spreadsheet of viewing data that is at once interesting but also misleading, Netflix has put out another of its semiannual engagement reports. While the streamer absolutely deserves credit for this sliver of transparency, the way Netflix releases its data remains problematic. By only putting out a report every six months, the company makes drawing comparisons between shows incredibly difficult. For example the title it crowns most-viewed — Fool Me Once — has 107 million views, while season three of Bridgerton sits at No. 2 with just under 92 million views.

Problem is, Fool was released on January 1, the very first day of the reporting period, while Bridgerton didn’t release the second half of its season until June 13. Not everyone rushes out to watch shows the minute they come out, and I am pretty certain that once Bridgerton’s third season is six months past its release date, it will exceed the 107 million views of Fool Me Once. While there will always be comparison issues when releasing nonlinear ratings, Netflix could go a long way toward solving this problem — and toward real transparency — by releasing this sort of cumulative ratings data monthly or releasing a weekly top 100 instead of the very limited top-ten numbers it puts out now. For now, we’ll have to settle for the lists we have.

Netflix’s top ten TV shows (in views from January to June 2024)

1. Fool Me Once (limited series)
2. Bridgerton (season three)
3. Baby Reindeer (limited series)
4. The Gentlemen (season one)
5. Avatar The Last Airbender (season one)
6. Griselda (limited series)
7. American Nightmare (season one)
8. 3 Body Problem (season one)
9. Berlin (season one)
10. One Day (limited series)

Netflix’s top ten movies (in views from January to June 2024)

1. Damsel
2. Lift
3. Society of the Snow
4. Under Paris
5. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
6. Mother of the Bride
7. Atlas
8. Minions
9. Irish Wish
10. The Boss Baby