The new metrics give movies and shows more time to gain viewership and the streamer has introduced a more accurate measurement of success.
After a long period of not giving shows time to build an audience, Netflix is changing the way they measure the viewership of their product. According to Deadline, Netflix productions will no longer have a 30-day window to perform to the best of their abilities, as the period has extended up until 90 days. This will allow the general audience to hear about a movie or series that gains good word-of-mouth over the passage of time, giving stories time to gain momentum following their immediate release. Added to that, the streamer will stop counting total hours viewed to determine a movie or TV show’s success, opting for focusing on the number of hours watched divided by the total runtime of each individual title evening the playing field for shorter series.
To place things under context, the fourth season of Stranger Things, which was released last summer, saw a massive audience tuning in to the latest chapter of Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) life. However, the release schedule for the season was divided into two parts, with most of the installment premiering on May 27, while the final episodes made their way to the small screen on July 1. The new measuring system would have allowed the hype to be extended throughout the entire summer thanks to the divided schedule, allowing the numbers to reflect the success the show had in a more accurate way.
Speaking of the blockbuster show set in Hawkins, the new viewership metrics saw the supernatural show surpassed as the most-watched English-language series on Netflix. Last year’s Addams Family spin-off, Wednesday, took the world by storm with its new perspective of one of the most iconic characters to come out of the franchise. Jenna Ortega was in charge of portraying Wednesday, as she was sent to Nevermore Academy after displaying behavior that was more bizarre than usual. There, she would have to learn how to live with other rebellious teenagers, in an institution meant to turn her into a different person.
Wednesday is Coming Back
After taking over Stranger Things’ viewership record, Wednesday Addams is ready to come back stronger than ever, as Netflix was quick to renew the show for a second season after seeing the enormous amount of success it had. While plot details are being kept under spooky wraps, it has been confirmed that another member of the Addams family will make an appearance in the upcoming installment, joining a list that already includes Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomez (Luis Guzmán). A release date hasn’t been set for the second season of Wednesday.
