Los Angeles: In a remarkable achievement, the popular web series 'Wednesday' has surpassed Season 4 of 'Stranger Things' to claim the title of the most-watched English show.
'Stranger Things' had held a dominant position in the charts since its release in 2022.
According to 'Deadline', the shift in rankings is significant, with 'Wednesday' now being recognized as the most popular English-language series of all time, surpassing the record set by 'Stranger Things' Season 4.
The comparison becomes even more noteworthy considering the massive 13-hour runtime of 'Stranger Things' Season 4. It was considered a formidable challenge for any series, especially one with half the duration like 'Wednesday', to outperform it.
This development comes as Netflix Productions has introduced a new viewership metric, reporting the number of people who have watched a movie or series based on the views generated.
The new metric calculates the average hours viewed divided by the total runtime of the content, expanding the measurement window from 30 to 91 days. This extended timeframe allows new titles a fair opportunity to gain popularity and establish themselves.
According to 'Deadline', this revised approach enables the audience to discover and appreciate productions that gradually gain recognition over time, giving such content a chance to grow beyond its initial release.
However, it is acknowledged that Netflix's new method of calculating views is not flawless. The assumption is made that viewers watch a new piece of content in its entirety each time, which can inflate unique views.
In reality, some users may watch multiple times, while others may not reach the end on their first viewing.
Nevertheless, average viewership provides a metric for comparing audience engagement across streaming and linear television, aligning with how Nielsen and other third parties report linear viewership, as stated by 'Deadline'.
With inputs from agencies