FX’s Shogun has set a new record on Hulu and Disney Plus, but it’s not the one you might expect
Shogunthe Game of Thrones And Succession-esque historical epic, goes to a flyer after its record-breaking premiere on Disney’s two streaming platforms.
The series, which debuted on FX (via Hulu) in the US and Disney Plus internationally, racked up a whopping nine million views in the first six days of its premiere. That figure, according to a Disney press release, was enough to make it the most-watched General Entertainment scripted series of all time on Disney’s streaming services worldwide.
United States, Shogun is also now the most-streamed TV premiere for an FX-developed show. The Feudal Japan set series has climbed above The bear season 2, which previously held the top spot. Overseas, Shogun passed by The Kardashians season 1 to also take the number one spot in the General Entertainment series category.
‘SHOGUN’ has become FX’s most-watched premiere on Hulu with 9 million views, passing ‘THE BEAR’. pic.twitter.com/b1vtqMHfg5March 6, 2024
For those unfamiliar with it Shogun, it is based on James Clavell’s bestseller of the same name, a fictionalized retelling of real-world events. Set in the 16th century, it follows three main characters – Hiroyuki Sanada’s Lord Toranaga, Cosmo Jarvis’ John Blackthorne and Anna Sawai’s Toda Mariko – as they navigate the increasingly tense geopolitical situation during the late Sengoku period. As their enemies surround them, the trio is forced to band together a little to prevent all-out war from breaking out across Japan.
In my Shogun review, I called it a “sublime historical epic whose ambitious scope and scale paid off” and “the kind of character-driven prestige TV” that Disney Plus and Hulu lack in their repertoires. I’m not surprised by its success on two of the world’s top streaming services.
An impressive start, but Marvel and Star Wars still dominate
With its politically charged plot, complex cast of characters and bloody and fiery action, combined with its impressive ratings upon debut, it’s clear that Shogun deserves a spot in our best Disney Plus shows and best Hulu show guides.
That said, there is an argument that its success is not what it should be. For starters, the nine million views is cumulative, meaning the figure is representative of performance on Hulu and Disney Plus combined. Without a full breakdown of how many people tuned in to watch each platform, I can’t confirm if the audience was even divided, or if one service dominated the other.
Then there is the ambiguity surrounding what an actual ‘image’ is. Like Netflix, Disney defines a view as the “total streaming time divided by runtime.” Essentially, this means that Disney has tallied up how many millions of hours have been monitored Shogun‘s first six days after release before dividing the total by 70 minutes. However, despite debuting on both platforms with a two-episode premiere, Disney has only taken Shogun The 70 minute running time of episode 1 is taken into account. Doing this further manipulates the show’s ratings.
Even with his manipulated ratings, Shogun can’t match the most watched TV episodes on a Disney streamer. In December 2023, Percy Jackson and the Olympians drew 13.3 million views in its first six days on Disney Plus and Hulu – a record for the opening entry of a Disney original program.
But even the hit fantasy show, whose premiere last year was one of the top five across all streaming services, couldn’t match the power of Disney’s two biggest franchises — Marvel and Star Wars — on Disney Plus. In August 2023, Disney confirmed that Star Wars: Ahsoka‘s first episode attracted more than 14 million people on the primary streamer. Loki season 2 was also a big hit for Disney Plus, with the Marvel Phase 5 series attracting 10.9 million viewers. Yes, that figure is less than Percy Jackson‘s, but considering the latter was released simultaneously on two platforms, and the fact that we don’t have a full record of where people streamed it, performance is on Loki‘s second season on Disney Plus is much more remarkable about this particular service.
So yes, Shogun is off to a great start audience-wise, and views will likely gradually increase as the weeks go by, as more people recommend it to their friends and family. However, compared to Disney’s other shows and properties, it still has a long way to go before it can be considered a true streaming powerhouse.