News & Views

Barb makes Netflix viewing reporting widely available

2 November 2022

Following the recent announcement that Netflix has signed up to Barb, Barb has today made its reporting of Netflix viewing widely available.

Netflix is now included in Barb’s gold-standard UK audience measurement for live and VOSDAL (viewed on same day as live) viewing, known as overnight viewing, as well as consolidated viewing, for viewing over a 7-day, 28-day or any user-defined period.

Barb will also deliver the definitive report of the most-watched shows each week by extending its weekly reporting of the top 50 shows on its website (1) to incorporate shows across all broadcast channels and SVOD services, including the three leading SVOD providers: Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix (should they feature in the week’s top 50). The first comprehensive report of the most-watched shows across all linear and on-demand services will be available on November 15th, for viewing during the week ending November 6th.

The second report will be available on November 22nd, for viewing during the week ending November 13th. This will potentially include viewing to the fifth series of The Crown on Netflix following its November 9th launch.

In addition, from the second week of November 2022, Barb will publicly report the monthly reach and share of viewing for broadcaster groups and SVOD/AVOD services which account for more than 0.5% of total identified viewing.

Justin Sampson, Chief Executive of Barb, said:

“As our viewing figures for Netflix become more public, it’s clear the leading SVOD service is a settled part of the television ecosystem. And our independent data will clarify how Netflix and other SVOD services compete with broadcasters, who continue to account for the lion’s share of viewing.”

“For many programmes, our overnight ratings are a snapshot of their popularity. Viewers increasingly watch programmes at a time that suits them, so consolidated ratings over seven, or even 28, days are widely regarded as a better gauge of a programme’s success. Our definitive weekly report of the most-watched shows across all linear and on-demand services focusses on viewing in the first seven days.”

NOTES

1 Barb’s weekly top 50 report includes consolidated 7-day viewing figures for broadcast channels, with pre-broadcast viewing and viewing on tablets, PCs and smartphones included. Viewing figures for SVOD services are calculated based on the average audience achieved during the first seven days of their availability – if launched during the week in question – or across the calendar week, and only include TV set viewing.