James R | On 17, Oct 2019

Stranger Things Season 3 was watched by 64 million households, Netflix has revealed.

The streaming giant has historically been closeted about its viewing figures, but in the past year has begun to release a growing number of statistics for its highest profile originals. Netflix’s figures should be taken with a pinch of salt: its count for a “viewer” is anyone who completes at least 70 per cent of one episode of a TV series or 70 per cent of a film – an indication, perhaps, of how much time people typically spend watching a single title on Netflix, or of how value attention spans have become in a competitive online age.

Nonetheless, they provide an indication of relative scale and popularity. In July, shortly after Season 3 debuted, Netflix announced that 40.7 million household accounts watched the show since its 4th July release – more than any other film or series in its first four days. Now, that figure has risen to 64 million household accounts watched Season 3 within its first four weeks on the platform, the series’ best numbers to date.

Netflix announced the figures in its quarterly letter to shareholders. Other figures included 32 million households watching Unbelievable in its first four weeks, and 41 million households watching family movie Tall Girl, in the same time period. These compare to the 40 million streams racked up by the end of Sex Education’s first month and the 80 million in the first four weeks of Bird Box’s release earlier this year.

Season 3 of Money Heist, meanwhile, racked up 44 million household views in its first four weeks, making it the most-watched non-English-language Netflix original series.

“A masterclass in mixing light and dark, Stranger Things’ third season sees the show hit its stride,” we wrote of Stranger Things’ third season.

Netflix has already ordered a fourth season of the hit horror sci-fi, as well as signed an overall deal with its creators, the Duffer brothers.

 

Stranger Things 3 breaks records with 40 million views

9th July 2019

Stranger Things has broken records with its third season, Netflix has revealed, with more than 40 million households watching the show’s return.

The streaming giant has always been cagey about its viewing figures, but has begun to divulge nuggets for it original shows and films, as it tries to position itself as a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. Stranger Things has long been one of the service’s flagship shows, with its retro horror vibes winning fans the world over. Season 3 only continues to grow bigger, according to Netflix’s data, with 40.7 million household accounts watching the show since its 4th July release – more than any other film or series in its first four days.

Netflix’s figures should be taken with a pinch of salt: its count for a “viewer” is anyone who completes at least 70 per cent of one episode of a TV series or 70 per cent of a film – an indication, perhaps, of how much time people typically spend watching a single title on Netflix, or of how value attention spans have become in a competitive online age. Nonetheless, there’s a sizeable audience out there: 18.2 million have already finished the entire third season, notes Netflix.

The figures place Stranger Things far ahead of other Netflix originals: the film Triple Frontier, starring Ben Affleck and directed by J.C. Chandor, for example, was watched by over 52 million member households in its first four weeks on Netflix., while The Umbrella Academy series, based on the comic book by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, was watched by 45 million member households in its first four weeks on service. Our Planet, meanwhile, was forecast to have 25 million member households watching it in the first month of release.

The data comes off the back off a mixed response to Stranger Things’ second season.

“Were these missteps a sign of terminal decline for the Duffer Brothers’ beloved creation, or just a blip in an otherwise beautifully-realised universe?” we wrote in our spoiler-free review of Season 3. “We’re glad to report that it’s the latter. While things zip along nicely at the start of Season 3, the pace isn’t rushed, leaving time for us to reacquaint ourselves with the characters fans have come to love. The Brothers seem to be confidently back in their stride.”

 

Stranger Things 3 is available on Netflix, as part of a £8.99 monthly subscription. Watch along with our spoiler-filled reviews of future episodes here.

 

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