Netflix is notorious for refusing to release ratings to the public and the media, but one firm has revealed some data it is has obtained from surveying a group of Netflix subscribers. It’s not complete data, but it’s still the first time we’re seeing how many Netflix subscribers actually watch the original shows Netflix is spending millions on to make.
Luth Research in San Diego gave Variety a look at its data. The firm tracked the viewing habits of just 2,500 Netflix users, but did not include data from viewers who use Netflix on their TVs. However, this is very similar to how Nielsen calculates the traditional ratings that the networks obsess over. Those are also only based on a select group of TV viewers.
The data shows that 10.7 percent of viewers checked out an episode of Daredevil in the first 11 days after it was posted on April 10. That might explain why the company renewed it so soon.
Tina Fey’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt had 7.3 percent of subscribers checking it out after 11 days. House of Cards’ third season only had 6.5 percent of subscribers check it out just after it was posted in February. Bloodline, which has also been renewed, had just 2.4 percent of subscribers checking it out.
Luth is also hoping to get data on Amazon Prime viewership. Amazon, like Netflix, has also refused to release viewer data.
Again, Luth’s data is far from complete and it would be interesting to see how these numbers would climb if they could have included use of Netflix on Internet TV devices. But this is scratching the surface. Hopefully Netflix might be more open to revealing how well its original movies do.
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image of ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ star Ellie Kemper courtesy of Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com