Ratings measuring giant Nielsen has finally released its year-end streaming rankings for 2022, and the strongest performing show comes as little surprise – Netflix’s “Stranger Things”.
The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s-set supernatural series released its two-part fourth season over the summer. As a result, the series pulled in more than 52 billion minutes of viewing time over the year.
That’s the biggest viewing figure since 2020 when pandemic-induced rewatches saw people bingeing old episodes of “The Office” to the tune of 57.1 billion minutes.
In terms of strong original series performers, Netflix dominated the entire top ten including “Ozark” (31.3 billion), “Wednesday” (18.6 billion), “Cobra Kai” (16.7 billion), “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (13.4 billion) and. more.
Only two non-Netflix shows made the Top 15 original series list – Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” (10.6 billion) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” (9.4 billion).
On the acquired series front, it was procedurals, kids cartoons and shows with Jared Padalecki that proved big winners. “NCIS” (38.1 billion) and “Cocomelon” (37.8 billion) took the top spots, whilst “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Criminal Minds,” Australian import “Bluey,” “Gilmore Girls” and “Supernatural” were all strong performers in the 18-26 billion minutes viewed range each.
When it comes to movies, Disney+ and Netflix were the only games in town as the Mouse House dominated the line-up with two-thirds of the Top 15 titles.
These included new titles like late 2021 entries “Encanto” and “Eternals” along with this year’s “Turning Red,” “Hocus Pocus 2” – the rest being legacy Disney titles like “Moana and “Frozen”. “Encanto” was a sensation with 27.42 billion minutes viewed, more than double that of the next nearest film.
In comparison, Netflix had three hit originals (“The Adam Project,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The Gray Man”) and two high-performing major studio releases (“Sing 2,” “Uncharted”).
Nielsen’s streaming ratings cover viewing on TV sets only and don’t include minutes watched on computers or mobile devices. Nor does viewing in other countries outside the U.S. count. Here’s a breakdown of the results:
Overall TV & Film
1. “Stranger Things” – 52 billion minutes viewed
2. “NCIS” – 38.1 billion
3. “Cocomelon” – 37.8 billion
4. “Ozark” – 31.3 billion
5. “Encanto” – 27.4 billion
6. “Grey’s Anatomy” – 26.8 billion
7. “Criminal Minds” – 24.9 billion
8. “Bluey” – 21.1 billion
9. “Gilmore Girls” – 20.8 billion
10. “Seinfeld” – 19.3 billion
11. “Supernatural” – 18.8 billion
12. “Wednesday” – 18.6 billion
13. “Heartland” – 18 billion
14. “Cobra Kai” – 16.7 billion
15. “The Simpsons” – 15.9 billion
Original Series
1. “Stranger Things” – 52 billion minutes
2. “Ozark” – 31.3 billion
3. “Wednesday” – 18.6 billion
4. “Cobra Kai” – 16.7 billion
5. “Bridgerton” – 14 billion
6. “Virgin River” – 13.6 billion
7. “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” – 13.4 billion
8. “Love Is Blind” – 13.1 billion
9. “Inventing Anna” – 12.9 billion
10. “The Crown” – 12.7 billion
11. “The Boys” – 10.6 billion
11 (tie). “The Great British Baking Show” – 10.6 billion
13. “The Umbrella Academy” – 10.5 billion
14. “The Last Kingdom” – 10.4 billion
15. “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” – 9.4 billion
Acquired Series
1. “NCIS” – 38.1 billion minutes
2. “Cocomelon” – 37.8 billion
3. “Grey’s Anatomy” – 26.8 billion
4. “Criminal Minds” – 24.9 billion
5. “Bluey” – 21.1 billion
6. “Gilmore Girls” – 20.8 billion
7. “Seinfeld” – 19.3 billion
8. “Supernatural” – 18.8 billion
9. “Heartland” – 18 billion
10. “The Simpsons” – 15.9 billion
11. “Friends” – 14.5 billion
12. “The Blacklist” – 14 billion
12 (tie) “New Girl” – 14 billion
14. “SpongeBob SquarePants” – 13.9 billion
15. “Shameless” – 13.6 billion
Movies
1. “Encanto, 27.4 billion
2. “Turning Red” – 11.4 billion
3. “Sing 2” – 11.3 billion
4. “Moana” – 8.6 billion
5. “The Adam Project” – 6.1 billion
6. “Hocus Pocus 2” – 5.7 billion
7. “Don’t Look Up” – 5.1 billion
7 (tie) “Frozen” – 5.1 billion
9. “Luca” – 5 billion
9 (tie) “The Gray Man” – 5 billion
11. “Zootopia” – 4.4 billion
12. “Coco” – 4.3 billion
13. “Eternals” – 4.24 billion
14. “Frozen II” – 4.2 billion
15. “Uncharted” – 4.18 billion
Despite 2022 being the first year properly out of lockdowns, overall streaming in the United States rose by 27% from 2021. U.S. viewers spent the equivalent of 19.4 million years last year on streaming platforms via their TV sets.
Source: THR