Netflix pressed their streaming competitors to be “more transparent” in the sharing of data across the industry in the company’s second quarter earnings report, pointing to its new Top 10 criteria.
Just last month, the streamer altered the criteria for their Top 10 ratings. Previously, Netflix would rank shows and films according to total hours watched. Now the streamer is ranking content based on total views — total hours watched divided by runtime.
In the streamer’s Q2 earnings report released on Wednesday, Netflix said the changes made to their Top 10 calculation standards are “more intuitive.”
Netflix noted that the new data collecting process “adjusts for runtime,” so that longer series or movies no longer operate on an “inherent advantage,” due to dated criteria. Indeed, the altered criteria resulted in “Wednesday” becoming the all-time most-viewed show on the streamer.
The steamer additionally pointed to the recent extension of their Most Popular lists to 91 days, rather than 28 days. Netflix said that this change was made “so people can see how great stories grow over time.”
“We believe sharing this engagement data on a regular basis helps talent and the broader industry,” Netflix said in the report.
In a pointed note, the streamer urged their competitors to follow in their footsteps and “become more transparent about engagement on their services over time.” At present, rivals Prime Video and Disney+ only release specific data points, not regular viewership.
Netflix’s viewership data is still controlled and released by the company, and the question of viewership comes at a time when striking writers and actors are calling for more transparency from all the streamers — including Netflix.
