Third-Party Data Says ‘Orange Is The New Black’ Was Top Netflix Original Series Of 2016

By Sam Gutelle • 01/06/2017 •

Subscription video on-demand (SVOD) platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu tend not to release viewership numbers for their shows, but thanks to third-party metrics company Symphony Advanced Media, we can still have an idea about which streaming shows people enjoyed the most during 2016. Based on Symphony’s analysis, which looks at viewership in the 35 days after specific shows are released, Netflix’s Orange is the New Black was the most-watched SVOD original of the year, bringing in 23 million viewers over the measured period.

Orange Is The New Black has settled in as Netflix’s most dependable original series. Its 2016 viewership was mostly driven by its fourth season, which premiered back in June. Close behind it in second place was Netflix’s buzziest new show of the year, Stranger Things, with 21.7 million viewers. The sitcom reboot Fuller House was the only other show to crack 20 million viewers in Symphony’s measurement; despite a perceived drop in popularity from its first season, it counted 21.5 million viewers.

Nine of the top ten programs on Symphony’s list and 21 of its top 25 were distributed by Netflix. The only outlier in the top ten was 11.22.63, the epic Stephen King adaptation released earlier this year by Hulu. Another Hulu show, The Path, came in 20th, while the last two spots on the list belonged to two Amazon shows: Goliath and Bosch.

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Here, via Newsweek, is the full list. There are two important notes to consider: Symphony did not include Netflix’s Gilmore Girls reboot or Amazon’s The Grand Tour in its rankings, as 35-day data for those shows is not yet settled. In addition, it’s worth noting that Netflix has criticized Symphony’s methodology in the past.