Last Updated on June 26, 2023 by
Over the years, Netflix has had some rather significant hits, but determining its biggest successes has never been easy for outsiders. Up until the end of 2021, we had access to the accounts that started a given episode or movie, but they have since shifted to hours viewed. Here is a look at the top hits that most streamed seasons on Netflix has ever published as of June 2023 using those hours watched.
Our guide is still active, and some of the movies that appeared on the top lists there continue to do so in Netflix’s top charts today. If you wish to review previous viewing figures most streamed seasons on netflix (number of accounts watching at least two minutes of any film), which Netflix disclosed, you can do so.
Starting from mid-2021, Netflix has shifted its focus to measuring viewership in terms of hours watched. Every Tuesday, they release statistics on 40 titles across four different categories. Additionally, most streamed seasons on netflix when a title enters the all-time top 10, they provide an updated guide specifically for those titles.
According to Netflix’s top 10 site, here’s how their “all-time list” operates:
“… we provide a list of the Top 10 most popular Netflix films and TV overall (branded Netflix in any country) in each of the four categories based on the hours that each title was viewed during its first 28 days. Since some titles have multiple premiere dates, whether weekly or in parts, we count the 28 days from each episode premiere date in each country.”
Most Streamed Seasons On Netflix
Below, we have compiled a comprehensive list of all the titles that have made it to the top 10 since mid-2021. This gives us access to the complete set of 28-day hourly statistics that most streamed seasons on Netflix has published. We have categorized the list based on each respective category.
- Stranger Things (Season 4) – 1,352,090,000 hours watched
- Wednesday (Season 1) – 1,237,150,000 hours watched
- DAHMER (Limited Series) – 856,220,000 hours watched
- Bridgerton (Season 2) – 656,260,000 hours watched
- The Night Agent (Season 1) – 626,990,000 hours watched
- Bridgerton (Season 1) – 625,490,000 hours watched
- Stranger Things (Season 3) – 582,100,000 hours watched
- Lucifer (Season 5) – 569,480,000 hours watched
- The Witcher (Season 1) – 541,010,000 hours watched
- Inventing Anna (Limited Series) – 511,920,000 hours watched
Previously included in the top 10 of all time:
- Ginny & Georgia (Season 2) – 504,780,000 hours watched
- 13 Reasons Why (Season 2) – 496,120,000 hours watched
- Ozark (Season 4) – 491,090,000 hours watched
- 13 Reasons Why (Season 1) – 475,570,000 hours watched
- Maid (Limited Series) – 469,090,000 hours watched
- You (Season 3) – 467,820,000 hours watched
- You (Season 2) – 457,370,000 hours watched
- Stranger Things (Season 2) – 427,440,000 hours watched
- Sex Education (Season 3) – 418,760,000 hours watched
- Ginny & Georgia (Season 1) – 381,000,000 hours watched
Netflix has been revolutionizing the global content consumption landscape with its impressive lineup of beloved original shows. On June 20, 2023, as most streamed seasons on Netflix introduced its updated viewership metrics, Season 1 of Wednesday soared to become the streaming platform’s most-watched English-language series. It surpassed Season 4 of Stranger Things and secured the second position, right after Season 1 of Squid Game, which still holds the top spot.
Previously, Netflix had been quite secretive about show statistics and viewing hours. However, due to increasing demand for transparency and feedback from critics, they decided to release a list of highly successful shows. Since November 2021, the streaming giant has been unveiling a weekly most streamed seasons on netflix list of 40 titles that have achieved significant viewership numbers across both film and TV, encompassing both English and non-English languages.
To determine a show’s popularity, each season of a series is considered as a distinct entity. Netflix uses the total number of hours watched in the first 28 days after a title’s release as the metric. However, this system favored shows with longer runtimes, and the 28-day timeframe did most streamed seasons on Netflix not allow sufficient time for a series to gain momentum.
To address this, productions will now have a 91-day window to reach the audience and demonstrate their performance. Furthermore, instead of relying solely on gross viewing hours, Netflix will calculate an average by dividing the number of hours watched by the total runtime of each title, thus leveling the playing field for shorter series.