Netflix released viewership data in its quarterly letter to investors, which noted some of the streamer’s most-viewed titles. According to data in the letter, Netflix’s original docuseries Our Planet has been viewed by 33 million households. This makes the nature series, which earned 10 Emmy nominations yesterday, Netflix’s most-watched original docuseries on the platform.
As of late, Netflix has been more forthcoming about its viewership data. Netflix revealed that When They See Us, Ava DuVernay’s original series about the Central Park Five, was the streamer’s most-viewed series in the U.S. since its release through to June 12. In its letter to shareholders, Netflix said that the viewer total for When They See Us reached 25 million households in its first four weeks.
According to Netflix, Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini’s comedy series Dead to Me was viewed by 30 million household accounts in its first four weeks. Applegate was nominated for an Emmy yesterday for the series, which has been renewed for a second season.
Netflix was nominated for a total of 117 Emmys yesterday, second only to HBO (which earned a whopping 137 nominations).
After revealing that its Jennifer Anniston-Adam Sandler movie Murder Mystery was viewed by nearly 40 million households within the first three days, Netflix revealed that the flick has been the most-watched of any Adam Sandler’s films on the streamer, watched by 73 million accounts in the first four weeks.
Netflix’s letter to investors included assurances that the streamer is well-positioned despite the upcoming competition from new rivals. The letter noted, “Over the next 12 months, Disney, Apple, WarnerMedia, NBCU and others are joining Hulu, Amazon, BBC, Hotstar, YouTube, Netflix, and many others in offering streaming entertainment. The competition for winning consumers’ relaxation time is fierce for all companies and great for consumers. The innovation of streaming services is also drawing consumers to shift more and more from linear television to streaming entertainment.”
The letter added that losing popular shows like The Office and Friends to NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia wouldn’t harm the company long-term. Netflix said that the push towards original content has been under way for “many years” and that not paying hundreds of millions to pay for licensed content will mean that the company can invest in more originals.
Netflix also asserted that it would remain advertising free, despite speculation that it might implement ads into the streamer. The company said, “We, like HBO, are advertising free. That remains a deep part of our brand proposition; when you read speculation that we are moving into selling advertising, be confident that this is false. We believe we will have a more valuable business in the long term by staying out of competing for ad revenue and instead entirely focusing on competing for viewer satisfaction.”