From reality TV game shows to gripping original dramas, a plethora of movies and shows took Netflix by storm in 2023.
On Thursday, the platform announced their viewership figures for the second half of last year (July to December), revealing that a whopping 90 billion hours of content were streamed.
The engagement report not only dives into how many people are watching Netflix, but also lists the biggest hits of 2023 that fans couldn’t get enough of – and the show that took first place is a surprise.
While new seasons of shows and brand new titles climbed the rankings, old fan favorites like Gossip Girl (49 million), Gilmore Girls (45 million) and Grey’s Anatomy (51 million) continued to rack up millions of views.
To give viewers more insight, the streaming giant created a document detailing thousands upon thousands of shows, how many views they got during the period, where in the world they are available, their release date, and their runtime.
On Thursday, the platform announced their viewership figures for the second half of last year (July to December), revealing that content was streamed for a whopping 90 billion hours
The show that racked up the most views was actually Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese manga series One Piece.
It broke viewing records when it hit our screens in August 2023, racking up a whopping 71,600,000 views and 541,900,000 hours of viewing.
Originally announced in January 2020, the highly anticipated series has won legions of fans after bringing the anime phenomena into the live-action world.
The series, developed by showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda (Helix, Pan Am), is based on Eiichiro Oda’s ongoing manga, which was adapted into a hit anime from 1999.
In the Netflix series, Iñaki Godoy plays the main character Monkey D. Luffy, who goes in search of the legendary treasure.
But before he does that, he must first assemble his pirate crew, including Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp, and Taz Skylar as Sanji.
In the first few days of its release, One Piece grew to become the #1 ranked TV series in 84 different countries around the world.
This surpasses a milestone set by season one of Netflix’s Addams Family adaptation Wednesday and season four of Stranger Things.
The show that garnered the most views was actually Netflix’s live-action version of the popular Japanese manga series One Piece.
It broke viewing records when it hit our screens in August 2023, racking up a whopping 71,600,000 views and 541,900,000 hours of viewing
In second place is the limited series Dear Child, which was released in September 2023 and received 52,500,000 views
The six-part series is based on the bestseller of the same name by Romy Hausmann, the German novel Liebes Kind
The eight-part series was confirmed to cost a whopping $17 million per episode, more than even the HBO fantasy epic Game Of Thrones.
In second place is the limited series Dear Child, which was released in September 2023 and received 52,500,000 views.
The six-part series is based on the bestseller of the same name by Romy Hausmann, the German novel Liebes Kind.
Netflix viewers were ‘hooked’ on the psychological thriller as soon as it came out, teased ‘as intense as Gone Girl’, leaving viewers ‘couldn’t stop watching’.
Dear Child begins when an unknown woman is hit by a car in a forest at night, while a “precocious and strange” girl accompanies her in the ambulance.
The young child’s disturbing comments about their past encourage nurses to alert the police – which in turn leads to a 13-year-old missing persons case finally being reopened.
Another limited series called Who Is Erin Carter? is in third place with 52,500,000 views – it was released in August last year.
Despite critics panning the drama and describing it as ‘mortally boring’, fans couldn’t stop watching and claimed their eyes were ‘glued’ to their screens.
Another limited series called Who Is Erin Carter? is in third place with 52,500,000 views – it was released in August last year
Despite critics panning the drama and describing it as ‘mortally boring’, fans couldn’t stop watching and claimed their eyes were ‘glued’ to their screens
The show revolves around the mysterious teacher whose name inspires the title, as her past catches up with her despite moving to Spain with her family.
The titular teacher is played by Evin Ahmad, 33, who was named the Rising Star at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival.
Her character has moved to Barcelona with her family, where it seems she hopes to cover her tracks.
But her hopes for a new life are challenged when she is recognized by an armed robber, and people from her past seem to keep popping up.
Fourth on the most-watched list was the third episode of French crime drama Lupine, with 49,700,000 viewers.
The show became an international hit when it launched in January 2021, with part two released just five months after its debut on the streaming platform.
It is followed by fan-favorite Netflix originals The Witcher Season 3 (47,900,000 views) and Sex Education: Season 4 (46,300,000 views).
It was the final season of the much-loved series and saw the teenagers leave Moordale Secondary to start Cavendish Sixth Form College.
Meanwhile, Beckham, who took seventh place, resonated with critics who praised the four-part series as “compelling,” “frank” and the best sports documentary in years.
Sex Education: Season 4 received 46,300,000 views and was the sixth most watched series
Virgin River Season 5 received 35,800,000 views
The last season of the children’s program CoComelon came eighth
The Beckham documentary was a hit with critics who praised the four-part series as ‘riveting’, ‘candid’ and the best sports documentary in years – it ranked seventh on the list
In the tell-all series, David Beckham and Victoria gave an intimate insight into their marriage and early romance, their family life, and charted David’s football career.
The final season of the children’s program CoComelon ranked eighth, with Virgin River season 5 (35,800,000 views) and The Lincoln Laywer season 5 rounding out the top ten (35,700,000).
You can view the full report and list on Netflix’s website.
Other key findings include the fact that non-English language programs and films are very popular with audiences, accounting for almost a third of all viewing figures.
Sport has also become increasingly popular, with a total of 184 million views with favorites including Beckham (44 million), Untold: Johnny Football (14 million) and Quarterback (13 million).
Meanwhile, reality competition spin-off Squid Game: The Challenge (33M) increased viewership for Squid Game by 34% – three years after this beloved story premiered.