What streaming TV's biggest hits have in common, from Netflix's 'The Witcher' to DC Universe's 'Titans'
- Data company Parrot Analytics provided Business Insider a report that looked at nine original TV shows that have recently been among the company's most in-demand streaming originals, and broke down what they have in common.
- The majority of them are sci-fi or fantasy shows with adventure elements and based on pre-existing material.
- Most of them were also either in their first season or revivals of a show that had been canceled at another network, such as "The Witcher" and "The Expanse."
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Netflix said last week that the first season of its hit fantasy series, "The Witcher," was on track to become its biggest streaming premiere ever, with 76 million households watching in its first four weeks of release.
That 76 million number sounds huge, but many media pundits have pointed out that Netflix's viewership metrics are not vetted by a third party and are hard to compare across services.
But there are other ways to back up just how popular "The Witcher" is and compare it to other blockbuster streaming shows.
One way is by looking at demand data from Parrot Analytics, which has provided Business Insider with a weekly list of the most "in-demand" streaming originals in the US for over a year. The company measures demand expressions, its globally standardized TV measurement unit that reflects a show's desire, engagement, and viewership, weighted by importance.
"The Witcher" has been competing with Disney Plus' "Star Wars" series, "The Mandalorian," for the top spot in recent weeks. The latter broke the 21-week streak of Netflix's "Stranger Things" when it debuted in November.
Those are just a few examples of the shows that are regulars in the audience-demand rankings. Others include Netflix's "Lucifer" revival and DC Universe's superhero series, "Titans."
Is there anything that these streaming TV mega-hits have in common?
In a new analysis for Business Insider, Parrot Analytics dove into what it calls the "overlapping content elements" of nine original streaming shows that have recently been appearing on its weekly US lists, to determine what draws audiences to them.
The shows include:
- "The Mandalorian" (Disney Plus)
- "The Witcher" (Netflix)
- "You" (Netflix)
- "Stranger Things" (Netflix)
- "Titans" (DC Universe)
- "The Expanse" (Amazon Prime Video)
- "The Crown" (Netflix)
- "Lucifer" (Netflix)
- "Harley Quinn" (DC Universe)
As more services jump into the streaming war, including WarnerMedia's HBO Max and NBCUniversal's Peacock this spring, the battle for content between media companies will intensify. And the question of what type of shows can break through the noise in the crowded streaming TV landscape will be top of mind for media execs.
Here are the main takeaways from Parrot Analytics.
Audiences flock to adventure shows with sci-fi/fantasy elements
Seven of the nine titles Parrot Analytics looked at fall into the sci-fi or fantasy genre ("The Crown" and "You" being the exceptions). And seven of the titles feature themes of adventure and discovery ("The Crown" and "Lucifer" being the exceptions).
These elements are often driven by source material, which also bring existing fan bases. "The Witcher" and "The Expanse," for instance, are based on books. "The Mandalorian" is inspired by the "Star Wars" franchise. "Titans" and "Harley Quinn" are based on comic books.
"When you think about the demand expression number, what's going into that is not just the consumption, but also the social aspect of it and the research aspect of it," Courtney Williams, Parrot Analytics' head of partnerships, told Business Insider.
Other examples that weren't included in this report, but regularly appeared in Parrot Analytics' demand rankings when they premiered and fall into the above genres, include Prime Video's mature superhero series "The Boys," based on the comic of the same name; Netflix's hit horror anthology series, "The Haunting of Hill House"; and Netflix's "Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance."
New shows and revived shows alike are in high demand
A third of the shows included in the report are season one debuts: "Harley Quinn," "The Mandalorian," and "The Witcher." This is also common among other shows that have been popular in the demand rankings in the past, such as the aforementioned "Boys," "Haunting of Hill House," and "Dark Crystal."
A TV show doesn't necessarily need to have been streaming for multiple seasons to be in high demand.
Netflix appears to be shaping its TV strategy on this. Deadline reported last year that Netflix doesn't see the value in long-running shows, instead favoring short-lived series because viewers can easily jump in and binge-watch them.
On the flip side, of the remaining six shows included in the report, half are canceled shows revived at a new network: "The Expanse" (previously on Syfy), "You" (previously on Lifetime), and "Lucifer" (previously on Fox).
A streamer giving a show a new life can expand its audience - especially outside the US - as well as bringing in old fans. For instance, "The Expanse" cast has championed Amazon for introducing the show to a global audience.
The platforms for these shows differ, from niche to general interest
The series included in this report run on services that range from the niche (DC Universe) to the general interest (Netflix), which shows that there isn't one type of audience that can make a streaming TV show a hit.
Here's an audience breakdown from Parrot Analytics:
- "The Mandalorian" and "Harley Quinn" have hyper-focused audiences, with viewers only watching up to one other show on average.
- The audiences for "The Expanse" and "Titans" have a "narrow-taste preference," meaning they watch between two and five other shows on average.
- The audiences for the remaining five shows, which are all Netflix originals, have a "diverse-taste preference," meaning they watch at least 20 other titles on average.
- Read more:
- Netflix is still growing wildly, but its market share has fallen to an estimated 19% as new competitors emerge
- We compared what the 6 major streaming TV services offer, from Netflix to Disney Plus to Hulu
- The battle between Netflix's 'The Witcher' and Disney Plus' 'The Mandalorian' previews what's to come in the streaming war
- Netflix's 'The Witcher' dethroned 'The Mandalorian' as the biggest TV series in the world
