We streamed a lot last year, and Nielsen has the data to prove it. Just this week, the data center released a list of the top 10 most streamed series of 2023, among other lists, and it revealed that services with acquired series garnered high amounts of streaming traffic. However, the data proves that original series are still worth investing in.
Netflix Near or At the Top of All Most Streamed Lists
Netflix’s impact on the streaming industry cannot be overstated. In 2023, it housed seven of the top 10 most streamed series overall, as well as seven of the top 10 most streamed original series. The top 10 series overall (which are all acquired) were Suits, Bluey, NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, Cocomelon, The Big Bang Theory, Gilmore Girls, Friends, Heartland, and Supernatural.
Of that list, Bluey, The Big Bang Theory, and Friends are the only series that aren’t available to stream on Netflix with the animated series available on Disney+ and the two sitcoms available on Max. Some can be found on additional platforms, too. Suits also streams on Peacock, NCIS also streams on Paramount+, and Heartland also streams on Hulu and Peacock.
Movies, as expected, didn’t make as big of a showing as TV series did in collective minutes watched, but they still grabbed audiences. The top 10 most streamed movies of 2023 were Moana, Encanto, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Elemental (2023), Minions: The Rise of Gru, Sing 2, Frozen, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
The category where Netflix had the most competition was streamed movies, and it came from Disney+. The platform holds six of the 10 films on the list and shares one title with Max, occupying the top two spots alone, while Netflix houses four of the 10, sharing one with Peacock.
Don’t Discount Original Series
Though not as successful on streaming platforms as acquired series, original series still do well per the Nielsen statistics. The most-watched original series was still far from cracking the top 10 list of overall most streamed series in minutes watched, but each of the top 10 most-watched original series garnered more minutes watched than any of the most streamed movies.
The top 10 most streamed original series were Ted Lasso, The Night Agent, Ginny & Georgia, Virgin River, Love Is Blind, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Gabby’s Dollhouse, The Mandalorian, Outer Banks, and The Lincoln Lawyer. Of those series, Ted Lasso, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and The Mandalorian are the only three that don’t stream exclusively on Netflix, with their homes being Apple TV+, Prime Video, and Disney+, respectively. While the streaming industry continues to face challenges, the statistics prove that consumers still crave streaming content.
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