“The notion that they are replacing broadcast TV may not be quite accurate”, he said, according to Variety.
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The tension of not knowing just how stiff the competition from Netflix is was apparently too much for NBC, who revealed to reporters yesterday that the network had hired a tech firm to gather ratings estimates for some Netflix series and Amazon’s Man in the High Castle.
From September through December, the average episode of Netflix’s “Jessica Jones” averaged 4.8 million viewers in adults 18-49 during a 35-day viewing cycle, according to Wurtzel’s presentation.
Online video streaming service Netflix is increasingly making a name for itself with its original content, producing shows such as Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.
Netflix typically keeps its metrics private (except when it comes to The Ridiculous Six, maybe?) but their commitment to secrecy has been divisive in the entertainment industry for years, with more conventional networks protesting the streaming service’s unwillingness to reveal ratings for their original titles.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime’s adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Man in the High Castle proved to be their most popular original series with an audience of 2.1m. Aziz Ansari’s “Master of None” (produced by Universal TV) grabbed 3.9 million while “Narcos” grabbed 3.2 million during the same frame.
Pressed on whether it was a matter of professional pride, Sarandos said: “I’m very proud of the numbers, and believe me every time I’d love to do it. The way you should measure us is by our growing subscriber base, because if we fail to grow subscribers, because that is our core business, then our shows are not successful either”. It must be noted that none of these are Netflix’s most popular show. Similarly, the first two weeks after release saw Master of None nab an 11% share of viewership, with Narcos attaining a 17% share.
Despite that fact, other companies, including some that are competitors like broadcast TV networks, have their own ways of estimating viewership for Netflix programming, and they’re not shy about sharing their data if it suits their purposes.
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Wurtzel added that the ratings estimates are a part of a “Netflix reality check”. He said there was “a glimmer of hope” on the horizon with a new Nielsen service that promises to do a better job of measuring non-linear platforms.
