In the past decade, list of streaming services continues to grow, however, Netflix's executives have decided to be more transparent about the process. An October 2019 letter sent to a UK parliament committee reveals that Netflix uses three categories when measuring viewing figures: "starters," "watchers," and "completers." What these categories means reflects how Netflix measures viewing figures, and how these figures factor into the streaming service's business plan.
Whereas traditional network television viewership numbers are collected by the third-party Nielsen Media Research, otherwise known as the Adam Sandler murder mystery was 2019's most watched title.
Now that the Streamings Wars have forever changed how and where consumers access entertainment, Netflix’s research methods have proven to be valuable for practical marketing. These statistics are used for planning and promoting movie or television series. Now, Netflix subscribers have the ability to be more conscientious about how personal streaming time can affect executive's decisions.
How Netflix Measures Viewership
For Netflix, “starters” correlate with “households that watch two minutes of a film or one episode.” As many streamers know, movies or series are often left behind for various reasons. Some don’t have the opening hook, or intrigue, that streamers are looking for, while others are lost in the shuffle and forgotten about in favor of other titles.
Netflix's “watchers” are "households that watch 70 percent of a movie or one episode in a series.” In relation to Netflix movies, this applies to people who are mostly invested in the viewing experience, even if they ultimately don’t engage with the final act. As for Bird Box, a thriller starring Sandra Bullock that released shortly before Christmas. In order to report big numbers, Netflix simply needed people to watch 70 percent of the film during the Holiday season.
The “completers” group undoubtedly helps Netflix pinpoint the most entertaining and engrossing productions. In this category, viewers are “households that watch 90 percent of a film or season of a series.” Of course, the 2019 cancellations of critically-acclaimed series like Netflix’s lead.