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Nielsen Data 2022
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Viewership monitoring company Nielsen have published their data for 2022 and Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things (all 34 episodes) took two crowns - most streamed original and most streamed overall program with 52 billion minutes.

Other strong sci-fi performers were Amazon series The Boys and Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, earning 11th and 13th positions for original programs.

Not sci-fi but of interest both for remarkable expenditure and questionable creative choices which have nothing to do with race, Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power came in 15th.

It lost about 20% of its viewership - including us - after the first two episodes which released together and that steadily but very modestly declined thereafter to the season one finale.

Seemingly only slightly outperforming The Wheel of Time, which we love and might also qualify as just a tiny bit sci-fi, despite having a much bigger budget.

Netflix's The Adam Project and Don't Look Up were the 5th and 7th most viewed sci-fi films and Disney's Eternals the 13th.

So Marvel clean up at the box office but seemingly don't make a huge impact on streaming.

Also no sign of Star Trek or Star Wars.

Is that indicative of quality etc. or taste for futuristic space-faring sci-fi?

Season six of The Expanse released partly in 2022 and there was also season three of The Orville.

It would be interesting to know how they all performed.

Pre Disney Star Wars always performed well in cinemas and so did their first film on the strength of those.

Both Avatar films have also been huge hits.

Which suggests that audiences are potentially receptive to a "high" sci-fi content but haven't been offered anything suitable yet.

Maybe they'll take to Amazon's in development Warhammer 40K series?

[ Main Image: Stranger Things - Jamie Campbell Bower. Credit: Netflix via IMDb.com. ]

References

Aquilina, Tyler (November 4, 2022). Amazon's Silence on 'The Rings of Power' Audience Size is Deafening. Variety.

Spangler, Todd (January 26, 2023). ‘Stranger Things’ Was Most-Streamed TV Show in 2022. Variety.