Netflix’s ‘Virgin River’ Holds Strong in Nielsen’s Streaming Ratings
Eight of the 10 most-viewed streaming television shows in Nielsen’s latest viewership report hailed from Netflix, a dominant showing for the company that is continuing to attract significant audiences thanks to its massive subscriber base and popular titles like “Virgin River.”
“Virgin River,” a romantic drama that premiered its third season July 9, was viewed for 1,270 million minutes from July 19 to July 25, according to Nielsen’s latest streaming ratings report. The show was the most popular title of that period by a considerable margin: Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever,” which premiered its sophomore season on July 15, came in second with with 567 million minutes viewed. Netflix’s “Atypical,” which premiered its fourth season on July 9, came in third with 422 million minutes viewed.
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Netflix’s string of strong July premieres helped the streaming service lead Nielsen’s latest report, but several of the platform’s older titles also appeared on the list. “Lucifer,” which premiered the second half of its fifth season on Netflix in May, has been a mainstay on Nielsen’s streaming reports for over a month and is continuing to attract viewers; “Lucifer” was the sixth most-viewed show on Nielsen’s latest list, with 277 million minutes viewed.
Nielsen’s data is only based on United States audiences using TV sets and only covers Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney+. (So don’t expect to see HBO’s “The White Lotus” or HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl.”) The company releases its streaming data reports on a roughly one-month delay due to an arrangement with the aforementioned streaming services. The entertainment industry’s major streamers do not regularly release their own verifiable viewership data.
Two non-Netflix titles appeared in Nielsen’s latest streaming report. Disney+ comic book show “Loki,” which premiered the final episode of its six-episode Season 1 on July 14, came in fourth, with 386 million minutes viewed. Though Disney+’s superhero titles have been consistent ratings powerhouses during their premiere windows, viewership for titles such as “WandaVision” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” tended to drop off shortly after their seasons concluded; time will tell how “Loki” endures for the House of Mouse’s streamer. Amazon Prime Video also had an entry in Nielsen’s latest report with “Bosch,” which was the seventh most-viewed show, with 231 million minutes viewed.
1. Virgin River (Netflix) – 1,270 million minutes
2. Never Have I Ever (Netflix) – 567 million minutes
3. Sex/Life (Netflix) – 422 million minutes
4. Loki (Disney+) – 386 million minutes
5. Heist (Netflix) – 316 million minutes
6. Lucifer (Netflix) – 277 million minutes
7. Bosch (Amazon) – 231 million minutes
8. Sex/Life (Netflix) – 216 million minutes
9. The Cook of Castamar (Netflix) – 179 million minutes
10. The Movies That Made Us (Netflix) – 165 million minutes
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