David Farnor | On 15, Nov 2013

Breaking Bad is the most popular show on Netflix US, according to SimilarWeb.

The web measurement company based in Tel Aviv analysed click-throughs on the American version of the website to determine the top 20 most-watched shows on Netflix.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the level of publicity surrounding the show’s final season, Breaking Bad came out on top. What is more surprising is that Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards aren’t even in the top 10. Indeed, both were beaten by Doctor Who.

The British sci-fi show ranked in eighth place in the chart, three spots above the Netflix Original prison drama – and four above the Kevin Spacey-starring political thriller. The latter won several Emmy awards this year and cost an estimated $50m to produce.

When announcing subscriber figures last month, Netflix said that Orange Is the New Black will be its most popular original series come the end of 2013 – which is technically true. They did not mention the fact that a Time Lord from across the Atlantic is even more popular.

The top five shows, according to SimilarWeb, is made up of Family Guy, How I Met Your Mother, Supernatural and The Walking Dead.

“While sci-fi shows or niche comedies often show small viewership in terms of TV ratings, it is interesting to see how popular shows like Family Guy, Supernatural, Doctor Who or Arrested Development are the real online blockbusters,” Daniel Buchuk, head of brand and strategy for SimilarWeb, told CNET UK exclusively.

“It is surprising that an original British drama such as Doctor Who is a bigger hit with Netflix US audiences than their own originated dramas,” he added. “This ranking shows how different the preference of audiences are with online TV viewing. The lack of measurement for online ratings means that advertisers, networks and content creators might not take these audiences into account.”

It is important to note, though, that SimilarWeb’s data only accounts for viewing behaviour in desktop web browsers, so mobile phones, tablets, TV apps or other devices are not included. With Netflix confirming this week that the majority of its subscribers watch Netflix on a TV, will their preferences be the same as those streaming on their computer? And will Netflix ever release its own official rankings of the most popular shows?

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