A rare look at Netflix’s streaming data shows “Orange is the New Black” could stack up against some of TV’s biggest hits in terms of ratings.
For the first time ever, Nielsen revealed streaming TV service viewership numbers this week, including Netflix, which doesn’t release ratings data. According to The Wall Street Journal, the full numbers are being shared privately with production studios but a portion of the figures will be released to the public.
Based on the data, Netflix’s series “Orange is the New Black” was watched by 6.7 million people between June 17 and June 19 — the first three days that season four of the show was available.
That number is comparable to the weekly ratings for HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” which had 7.6 million viewers for the episode that aired June 19. If “Orange is the New Black” were measured against all cable TV shows, it would have been the second most-watched show for the week of June 13 to June 19, behind only “Game of Thrones,” according to TV by the Numbers.
In terms of overall viewership, broadcast shows — those that air on the four major networks — are still king by a large margin. Shows like CBS’s “NCIS,” ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and Fox’s “Empire” routinely top the 10 million-viewer mark on a weekly basis.
But this first look at Netflix’s ratings show its numbers may rival even cable’s most popular channels.
Clint Davis covers entertainment and trending news topics for the Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis.
