Stranger Things Takes The Top Spot On Nielsen's 2022 Streaming Chart
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Stranger Things ranked as the number one most-viewed property in streaming according to Neilsen's 2022 streaming chart. This has to be music to Netflix's ears, considering the beating they’ve taken in the streaming wars this past year amidst a series of cancellations.
Stranger Things is Netflix's crown jewel, the streamer’s number one property they’re still planning a final season for and spinoffs. The show created by the Duffer brothers is one of the few modern properties that has entered the mainstream lexicon (to where audiences think anything '80s themed is inspired by it).
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Per Variety, Stranger Things reigned supreme for 2022 viewing numbers according to Nielsen, raking in 52 billion minutes streamed, which is a steaming pile of eyeballs watching the adventures of Eleven and the rest of the Stranger Things kids as they continue to bop around in '80s clothes and fight monsters from the Upside Down. That number, while impressive, was still down from 20202 when the lockdown saw sitcom aficionados take in 57 billion minutes of The Office reruns. Other Netflix original series that came close to Stranger Things on Nielsen's chart were Ozark and Jenna Ortega's Wednesday series. However, the number three spot went to a non-Netflix original, CoComelon, the show for little tykes that the streamer aired.
Disney Plus hopped up with Encanto taking the number four spot. This is impressive but not enough to keep Bob Chapek from eating a streaming pile himself when a failure to get the Disney Plus returns he’d promised (alongside some number fudging) saw him tossed out the door in favor of Bob Iger's second go-around as Disney's head honcho. Not ruling the streaming market doesn’t matter much for the House of Mouse in the long run, considering Disney ruled the global box office in 2022, not to mention all the merch sales such box office numbers imply.
Netflix then took most of the remaining top ten, but unfortunately for the streaming giant, it wasn’t with their own content but that of other major networks they have licensing agreements. Having Stranger Things take the top spot when years-old Grey’s Anatomy and Criminal Minds reruns ate up the other top slots isn’t the type of news investors want to hear. On the one hand, Netflix is still the champion. On the other, it’s by playing with other networks' toys. That said, Stranger Things' numbers are still impressive, and this bodes well for the continued health of the franchise.
Stranger Things seasons 1-4 are streaming on Netflix.
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Source: Variety
