Netflix's data dump signals a new era of transparency for the company — but don't expect other streaming sites to follow suit

• Netflix recently released its viewing figures for the first six months of 2023.
• The data dump was a first for the streaming platform, which is known for its secrecy.

Netflix may have dropped the most significant set of data in streaming history.

The streaming giant released viewing figures for the first six months of 2023, covering its entire library. The data allowed people to see which shows viewers had spent the most hours watching and which had been largely ignored. You can download the full set here.

The data dump was a first for the secretive platform.

Netflix and its competitors have faced criticism in the past over a lack of transparency. Viewing figures were shrouded in secrecy, which became a point of tension for the creatives involved in the shows.

"Historically, they've been secretive about it because they were worried that sharing those numbers would affect their stock price on Wall Street," Michael D. Smith, a professor of information technology and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, told Business Insider. "They still don't want to share the specific data about which viewership watched it because that's very strategic information.

"But the information about the number of viewers who watched it, I think was primarily about protecting their their stock price."

The timing of the Netflix data release is also significant.

Streaming figures were a central issue in this year's strikes by Hollywood writers and actors. Streaming platforms will effectively be forced to share data with the Writers Guild of America because of the new contract, but there's no requirement for them to do so publically.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos pushed back on the suggestion that the data release was a direct response to the strikes, instead pointing to a more general shift toward transparency within the company.

As BI's Nathan McAlone points out, the viewing figures also allow Netflix to flex its muscles by showing off its substantial audience.

The platform appears to be daring its smaller rivals to do the same, likely suspecting that any attempt to follow suit would highlight how small their audiences are in comparison.

"Sharing the data publicly puts some pressure on Netflix's competitors to do the same," Smith said. "They're also trying to show artists that Netflix is a place where your show is going to be seen a lot more relative to other alternatives — which I think is their goal."

Smith added he doubted that competitors would lured out by the move.

"I would be surprised if they did the same," he said of rivals such as Disney Plus. "I suspect Netflix's viewership numbers are higher than anybody else's because Netflix subscribers are higher than anybody else."

He added, "They have to share it privately to fulfill the agreement with the union, but to share it publicly like Netflix still faces the risk of hurting their stock price and their valuation."