According to data from Samba TV, Netflix's "Wednesday" was the most-watched debut series of 2022, just passing HBO Max's "House of the Dragon."
Though "House of the Dragon" got more viewers during its initial 15-day
viewership window, "Wednesday" had a longer shelf life, in part due to
the teen mystery-comedy's viral success on social media.
- Samba's
data on the 20 most popular streaming shows indicate that 75% of their
total viewership after 2 months came from just their first 15 days
online.
- "Wednesday" was the only exception to this rule, attracking just 66% of its overall viewership in its first two weeks online.
- Samba's
data indicates that winning over younger, Gen Z viewers may be the key
to performing better over time; four of the streaming shows with the
longest shelf lives -- also including "Dahmer – Monster" and "The
Watcher" -- performed well with younger viewers.
- Samba also
tracks what it calls "subscription cycling," when users sign up for a
platform specifically for one show, then cancel the service once the
season ends; according to the company, 29% of US adults have
subscription cycled within the last six months.
