All 10 titles in Nielsen’s latest report on the most viewed streaming shows of the week were Netflix shows, including “Outer Banks,” which was viewed for a staggering 2.1 billion minutes, according to the report. The viewership for “Outer Banks,” which premiered its second season July 3 on Netflix, was more than most of the other titles on Nielsen’s list combined. The company’s report was based on viewership data from August 2 through August 8. “Outer Banks” also topped Nielsen’s report last week despite only being available on Netflix for three days at the time of reporting; the show garnered 1.4 billion minutes of viewership in Nielsen’s previous report.

Netflix’s “Virgin River,” which has consistently been near the top of Nielsen’s streaming reports for several weeks, was the second most viewed show of the week with 547 million minutes viewed. “Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings Miami” came in third in the report with 321 million minutes viewed. Related ‘1899’ Canceled by Netflix After One Season ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’ Sneak Peek: Adjoa Andoh’s Lady Danbury Origin Story Is Revealed Related The Best Film Sound of 2022 Oscars 2023: Best International Feature Film Predictions
In an ironic twist, Nielsen — which offers third-party accreditation for streaming viewership figures — lost its own third-party accreditation earlier this week. On September 1, the Media Rating Council suspended Nielsen’s accreditation, after months of tense back-and-forths between TV networks and the longstanding viewership tracker. The dispute centers on TV networks’ allegations that Nielsen altered its protocols during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in under-counting (which hurts the networks’ ability to earn fair rates for their advertising offerings). The MRC — which holds measurement organizations to standards on behalf of the media sector, working with advertisers, agencies, and media companies of all types — found further evidence of miscounting in February 2021, and Nielsen soon asked for a hiatus to upgrade its methodology. Nielsen will continue to produce ratings reports, even without the MRC’s accreditation, which will be formally withdrawn in mid-September. Nielsen is currently working on a cross-media measurement tool, titled Nielsen One, but it won’t be available until 2022. “While we are disappointed with this outcome, the suspension will not impact the usability of our data. Nielsen remains the currency of choice for media companies, advertisers and agencies. We are committed to the audit process and during this pause in accreditation we will work with the MRC on resolving this suspension,” Nielsen said in a statement to Variety. “We will also take the opportunity to focus on innovating our core products and continue to deliver data that clients can rely on, ultimately creating a better media future for the entire industry.”

  1. Outer Banks (Netflix) – 2,100 million minutes
  2. Virgin River (Netflix) – 547 million minutes
  3. Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings Miami (Netflix) – 321 million minutes
  4. Top Secret UFO Projects Declassified (Netflix) – 288 million minutes
  5. Car Masters: Rust to Riches (Netflix) – 280 million minutes
  6. Love Is Blind (Netflix) – 236 million minutes
  7. The Snitch Cartel: Origins (Netflix) – 227 million minutes
  8. Hit & Run (Netflix) – 226 million minutes
  9. Lucifer (Netflix) – 223 million minutes
  10. Glow Up (Netflix) – 220 million minutes Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.