A report published by Netflix on May 23 provides an overview of the second edition of What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report, which covers viewership data from July to December 2023. In other words, the report focuses on analyzing viewer engagement on the platform, providing insights into the viewing habits of Netflix users during the second half of 2023.
The data included in the report represents a comprehensive overview of Netflix viewership, encompassing 99% of all the content watched on the platform from July to December 2023. Netflix has enhanced its report since its initial release, aiming to provide more comprehensive and insightful dataThis means the report now includes additional metrics, such as the total runtime of content watched and views, which are calculated by dividing the total hours viewed by the content’s runtime. The report also distinguishes between movies and TV series, providing separate analyses for each category. Over 85% of the new titles added to Netflix during the reporting period were also featured on their weekly Top 10 lists, which indicates their popularity among viewers.
In the report, Netflix shares that it’s creating content that maintains its popularity over time, spanning a wide range of genres. Even older shows remain popular, particularly when new seasons are released, indicating sustained viewer interest in the series. Lupin, a popular thriller series on Netflix, continued to attract viewership, with almost 100 million views during the latter half of 2023. Cocomelon, a children’s animated series, amassed nearly 200 million views across its eight seasons. Other significant figures include The Witcher, with 76 million views; Virgin River, with 69 million; and The Crown, with 50 million.
The report continues to highlight the ongoing popularity and impact of various Netflix titles. Despite being released earlier, these highly popular titles, including Wednesday, Red Notice and Squid Game, continued to attract large audiences throughout 2023, indicating their enduring appeal and viewership. Wednesday amassed 98 million views, Red Notice 62 million, and Squid Game 25 million. Additionally, new adaptations of existing content contribute to increased viewership of past series. For example, the 2023 live-action TV adaptation of One Piece resulted in more than double the viewership of the anime film and series, indicating the success and impact of the new adaptation. The spin-off reality competition show Squid Game: The Challenge led to a 34% increase in viewership for the original Squid Game.
Netflix also highlights the global appeal and success of its non-English content, which accounts for almost ⅓ of the total viewership on the platform, demonstrating its significant popularity. Among non-English content, Korean, Spanish and Japanese language shows and movies have the largest share of viewership. Korean content accounts for 9% of viewing, Spanish for 7%, and Japanese for 5%. The report shares specific non-English titles from various countries that have achieved notable viewership numbers. These include: Dear Child from Germany with 53 million views, Forgotten Love from Poland with 43 million views, Pact of Silence from Mexico with 21 million views, Mask Girl from Korea with 19 million views and Yu Yu Hakusho from Japan with 17 million views.
The report then states that during the second half of 2023, viewers collectively watched 90 billion hours of content on Netflix. For the entire year, the total viewership amounted to 183 billion hours. This data emphasizes the extensive reach and engagement of Netflix’s audience. With 121 million views, Leave the World Behind is Netflix’s 5th most popular movie ever. Leo, which is Netflix’s most successful animated film to date, achieved 96 million views. Notably, both Leave the World Behind and Leo premiered later in the second half of the year but still managed to attract large audiences quickly. Finally, with 86 million views, Nowhere is highlighted as the third most popular non-English language film on Netflix.
The report concludes itself with an overview of the wide range of Netflix content that caters to diverse tastes and the popularity of different genres: drama, children’s shows, comedy, action and more. In particular, sports-related content has gained significant traction, with a combined total of 184 million views. Popular titles include BECKHAM with 44 million views, Untold: Johnny Football with 14 million views and Quarterback with 13 million views. Reality TV shows also have a substantial following, with titles like Is It Cake? (21 million views), Love is Blind (20 million views) and The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On (12 million views) being widely viewed and discussed. Children’s and family content constitutes 15% of the total viewership. Popular titles in this category include Gabby’s Dollhouse, with 90 million views, and Family Switch, with 62 million views. Licensed content, which includes shows not originally produced by Netflix, remains highly popular. Notable series include Young Sheldon with 88 million views, Grey’s Anatomy with 51 million views, Gossip Girl with 49 million views and Gilmore Girls with 45 million views. Suits also achieved an impressive 144 million views across its nine seasons in the latter half of 2023.