Netflix's 'Money Heist' is the top TV show in the world

• "Money Heist" is the most in-demand series globally across all platforms, according to Parrot Analytics.
• The first half of the show's final season premiered on Netflix on Friday.
• It's good news for Netflix, which has seen its global demand share shrink as competitors emerge.

Netflix's hit Spanish series "Money Heist" ("La Casa de Papel") returned on Friday with the first half of its fifth and final season. It didn't take long for it to become the biggest TV series in the world, according to Parrot Analytics' "demand" measurement.

"Money Heist" is now the most in-demand series globally across all platforms, Parrot Analytics said Wednesday. The data company measures audience demand, which reflects viewers' engagement with and desire for a series. In other words, its overall popularity rather.

The series surged to the top on Thursday, the day before the fifth season debuted, reflecting fans' anticipation. The show was 78.9 times more in demand than the average series worldwide, Parrot Analytics said.

Demand grew after the new episodes premiered, with it being 122.6 times more in demand than the average series by Sunday.

The show's top market over the last week was India, followed by the US and then Spain, Parrot Analytics said. "Money Heist" reflects how important international markets are for streaming services as they look to grow subscriptions, and India in particular is essential as Netflix aims to build its global footprint. Netflix is also developing a Korean remake of "Money Heist."

The show has also performed well on Netflix's own daily popularity rankings. On Wednesday, it was the third most popular title in the US. Netflix counts a view if an account watches at least two minutes of a show or movie.

"Money Heist's" continued success is a big win for Netflix, which has seen its global demand share for original series decline as competitors emerge. During Q2 2021, Netflix fell below 50%, to 48.3%, for the first time since Parrot Analytics started measuring quarterly demand share. Amazon Prime Video followed with 12.7% of the market share and then Disney+ with 7.3%.

Netflix is still the global streaming leader with more than 209 million subscribers worldwide as of its Q2 earnings report. Disney+ has grown quickly since launching in November 2019 and had 116 million global subscribers as of July 3.