Nielsen's Biannual Report: Stranger Things Reigns Supreme in Streaming, The Pitt and Bridgerton Follow Suit
Stranger Things maintained its dominance in the television realm long after its series finale. The Netflix sci-fi show was the most-watched streaming title in the first half of the year, accumulating 23.26 billion minutes viewed, according to Nielsen's biannual report. It broke records post-finale, achieving the highest weekly viewing total in Nielsen's streaming Top 10 history with 8.65 billion viewing minutes during the week of December 29. Bluey secured the second spot with 22.81 billion minutes viewed.
The Pitt, a streaming original, also surpassed the 20 billion-minute mark with 21.12 billion minutes viewed in the first half of the year. Bridgerton, another streaming original, ranked sixth with 17.15 billion minutes viewed, likely boosted by the release of Season 4 earlier in the year. Grey's Anatomy and The Big Bang Theory, perennial favorites, continued to perform well, each driving over 20 billion minutes of viewership on streaming platforms from January to June.
While not part of the Top 10, Landman on Paramount+ claimed the 13th spot overall with 12.4 billion minutes viewed, and Prime Video's Fallout secured the 9th position with 7.98 billion minutes viewed. Nielsen also highlighted unscripted titles that made it to the Top 20 most-streamed shows, such as Peacock's The Traitors and Love Island USA, leading the unscripted streaming original titles with 7.74 billion and 7.62 billion minutes viewed, respectively, and appealing to adults aged 18-34.
The First 48 emerged as the top unscripted streaming show at No. 18 overall with 11.33 billion minutes viewed across Hulu, Peacock, and Pluto TV. Survivor also performed strongly on streaming platforms, garnering 9.36 billion minutes viewed on Paramount+. Nielsen's insights for the first half of the year provide a comprehensive overview of the streaming landscape, showcasing the popularity and viewership trends of various titles.