A new study has found that lots of people are rejoining Netflix just to watch season 3 of Stranger Things. Since it premiered back in 2016, the supernatural 1980s-set show has become one of the streaming giant's most successful original series, and its third season - which premiered last week - is proving just as popular.
Though Netflix is notoriously secretive when it comes to viewership figures, the company was only too happy to announce that Stranger Things 3 was watched by a record-breaking 40.7 million household accounts within four days of its July 4 global launch - more than any other Netflix movie or show. The thing about Netflix statistics, however, is that they aren’t independently verified by a third party. That, combined with how secretive and selective the streaming giant can be about releasing viewer statistics, has led some people to call their validity into question.
But new research might just lend Netflix’s statistics a little more credibility, at least when it comes to the popularity of Stranger Things. As reported by Variety, Wall Street firm Cowen & Co found in a study of 2,500 U.S. consumers that 13% of former Netflix subscribers stated they planned to rejoin the service so they could watch season 3 of the show. Cowen & Co’s study also found that around 51% of current Netflix members stated that they planned to watch season 3 of Stranger Things, and that 5% of the consumers surveyed who weren’t current Netflix members said they intended to subscribe to watch the show.
The success of Stranger Things’ third season is no doubt welcome news for Netflix. The company was recently hit with the blow that it will soon no longer be able to stream two of its most popular non-original shows - Friends and The Office - following the impending launch of NBCUniversal’s as-yet unnamed streaming service and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max. Some reports have even estimated that losing Friends and The Office could cost Netflix nearly half of its younger subscribers, but the popularity of Stranger Things 3 should assuage at least a few fears Netflix might have for the future.
Statistics aside, if the fan reaction towards season 3 is anything to by then the series is just as wildly popular as it’s ever been. And even though Netflix hasn’t officially renewed Stranger Things for season 4 yet, its superfans are already speculating what could be in store. It’s safe to say the future looks bright for Netflix when it comes to Stranger Things.
Source: Variety