Wondering how many people actually watch The Crown? Soon you will no longer be left in the dark, because Netflix is about to start releasing viewing figures.
The streaming service has signed up to UK ratings body BARB (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board), which will announce viewing figures just as it does for broadcast TV. BARB is the first industry-owned ratings service in the world that Netflix has joined.
Until now, Netflix has simply announced which shows are most popular and claimed that some have broken records, but it's not regularly made public how many people actually watch. All that will change from next month, when BARB starts reporting.
This coincides with the launch of Netflix's ad-supported tier, aka 'Basic with Ads'. The data will help advertisers decide if and where to place ads on the streaming service.
Other streaming services will likely be included too. That's because any service which accounts for more than 0.5 per cent of total identified viewing will be listed. So expect to see Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video also having their viewing figures scrutinised too.
Disney Plus will launch its own ad-supported tier in December.
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