It turns out that the hit South Korean survival series, Squid Game, has sparked a change in the streaming service Netflix. In the streamer’s quarterly earnings report, Netflix confirmed that it will change how it will measure its viewership data report later this year.
Previously Netflix used a two-minute view metric, which, as its name suggests, would count two minutes watched of a show or movie as a as a complete view. Now Netflix will be “reporting on hours viewed for [its] titles rather than the number of accounts that choose to watch them.” This will apparently let the service gain a better indicator of the overall success of its movies and TV series. Considering how many films and Netflix TV series are on the platform, and how people tend to click off things frequently as they browse for their next binge-worthy show this is probably a solid move on Netflix’s part.
It was also revealed that the company will begin releasing “title metrics more regularly outside of [its] earnings report so [its] members and the industry can better measure success in the streaming world.” Netflix’s big announcement comes after its recent global success with Squid Game. The series reportedly has been watched by an outstanding 142 million households and has beaten the regency drama Bridgerton as the platform’s most-watched show.
Written and directed by Hwang Dong-Hyuk, Squid Game revolves around a group of people with a massive amount of debt who compete in deadly children’s games for a massive cash prize. The show has become a global phenomenon, inspiring people to create their own version of the deadly game show in real life (minus the bloodshed) and pushing people to make videogames based on some of the killer challenges seen in the show.
The streamer must be looking towards recapturing the show’s success as it looks to gauge what content would best suit the platform in future commissions.
We are still waiting on information for Squid Game season 2. However, Hwang Dong-Hyuk has hinted that the next chapter in the thriller will involve the police. Stay tuned for more updates. In the meantime, you can get your dystopian fix with our list of the best sci-fi series of all time.