Fabricating numbers: an analysis of Netflix Original series’ viewership data

Abstract

This paper investigates which strategies Netflix employs to publicize information about its titles’ performance to discuss the issues and inconsistencies of audience measurement in streaming platforms. We ana- lyzed Netflix’s quarterly earnings reports released between 2013 and 2020, focusing on the data referring to the performance of fictional series avail- able in the catalog. We argue that, besides the audience fragmentation andnon-linear spectatorship, the platform’s opacity would also contribute to greater flexibility in the methods used to measure the audience. At the same time, these allow Netflix more freedom to choose which information it makes public. Considering the competitiveness of the streaming market, the announcement of the number of views frames Netflix Original Series, the company’s exclusive productions, as successful cases.