Disney reported that the season three premiere of The Bear garnered 5.4 million views within its first four days of streaming.
According to Variety, the season three premiere of The Bear has achieved the highest viewership numbers compared to any other show that premiered on Hulu under the FX network, which is the show’s producer. Furthermore, among all scripted series that have premiered on Hulu, the third season of The Bear has attracted more viewers than any other season premiere in Hulu’s history. This goes beyond scripted series, like dramas and comedies, and includes unscripted series, like reality shows or documentaries. Overall, when considering both scripted and unscripted series, the season three premiere of The Bear ranks as the third most-watched season premiere in Hulu’s history, based on viewer numbers during its initial release period.
As reported by Disney, the season three premiere received 24% more views than the season two premiere did within the same initial timeframe after release. Disney goes on to highlight the trend of increasing viewership for The Bear. Season one was unexpectedly successful due to positive hype and initial viewer interest. Then, season two saw a significant growth in viewership, with a 70% increase compared to season one. Season three continues this growth trend, with an additional 24% increase in views compared to season two, indicating ongoing popularity and viewer engagement with the series.
Variety explains how the viewership number of 5.4 million is calculated, which includes U.S. viewership on Hulu, U.S. viewership on Hulu accessed through Disney+ and viewership on Disney+ in international territories where the episode was available. However, the episode may not have been released yet in certain international markets, so the total viewership count might not include those regions.
According to Variety, Disney claims that the availability of Hulu content through Disney+ contributed significantly to the viewership numbers for this season of the show. In other words, bundling Hulu with Disney+ helped increase the audience for The Bear. Furthermore, the premiere of this season on Hulu via Disney+ has seen the highest viewership numbers since the Disney+ and Hulu bundle became available on March 27. This suggests strong viewer interest and engagement through this combined streaming service offering.