Netflix to change the way it ranks content

Netflix said it will move to reporting on hours for its titles later this year rather than the number of accounts that choose to watch them.

October 20, 2021 02:19 pm | Updated 02:19 pm IST

The Netflix logo is seen on their office in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.

The Netflix logo is seen on their office in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Netflix will shift to reporting on hours viewed to rank its most popular shows and movies on the streaming service.

(Sign up to our Technology newsletter, Today's Cache, for insights on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, business and policy. Click here to subscribe for free.)

The company ranked titles based on completion of at least the first two minutes of watching a show or a movie in the first 28 days of its service. However, it has also rolled out rankings based on the total number of hours a series is watched.

In a letter to the shareholders, Netflix said it will move to reporting on hours for its titles later this year rather than the number of accounts that choose to watch them. It also posted rankings based on the current and the proposed new method. Both measures of rankings showed a significant difference in where the top 10 shows are ranked.

“We think engagement as measured by hours viewed is a slightly better indicator of the overall success of our titles and member satisfaction,” Netflix said. The new metric will also give proper credit to rewatching, it added.

Netflix will release the titles metrics regularly, outside of its earnings report as well.

The streaming giant had a good quarter on the back of the massive success of the new Korean drama, Squid Game. Calling the TV show its biggest ever, Netflix said 142 million member households globally have chosen to watch the title in its first four weeks. The show has been ranked as the #1 program in 94 countries including the US.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.