When Netflix helped revolutionize the way people watch movies and TV shows by introducing a streaming component to its platform in 2007—ten years after it started out as a mail-in DVD rental service—speculation has whirled around just how many people view each property, a key component to its business model, no doubt.
Well, now we’re getting new insights into that exact question that has plagued many viewers ever since we binged our first show over stream (for this author, that was the original Heroes TV show on the streaming giant back in the late aughts).
According to a report from ComicBook, Netflix has announced that it would share its viewership data with the public. This new information will elucidate how many hours a certain show is viewed.
This is different than how Netflix has divulged viewership numbers in the past, usually counting the number of households or accounts that have watched a minimum of two minutes of a certain title and only announcements being made when a certain title was successful. And after years of the industry calling for a more accurate metric of viewing numbers, it looks like Netflix is finally taking heed to that demand.
In a letter to shareholders, Netflix said they think measuring hours viewed of a certain title is a better indicator of success than its previous methods.
“There is some difference in rankings… but we think engagement measured by hours viewed is a slightly better indicator of the overall success of our titles and member satisfaction…It also matched how outside services measure TV viewing and gives proper credit to rewatching.”
What do you think of the new change to Netflix‘s viewership metrics? Leave it in the comments below.