Streaming Ratings: ‘Squid Game’ Scores 2024’s Biggest Premiere

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During the Christmas week, numerous shows on streaming platforms were highly popular, with eight different series surpassing a total of one billion minutes watched according to Nielsen’s rankings. Among these, Netflix’s “Squid Game” clearly outperformed the others.

In 2024, a popular Korean series broke the record for the most-watched streaming title in a single week in the U.S., amassing an impressive 4.92 billion minutes of viewing from December 23rd to December 29th. The second season of this show, Squid Game, made its debut on December 26th.

The first week of airing the show saw it become the most successful debut for any title in the past two years. To be specific, “Wednesday” garnered approximately 5.3 billion minutes of viewing from Nov. 28-Dec. 4, 2022. Interestingly, “Squid Game” surpassed its previous best of 3.26 billion minutes during its initial season in 2021. Previously, Netflix had indicated that the second season set a new worldwide record for a premiere week based on their internal data.

Finishing in second place with the most overall viewings was “Virgin River,” a stark contrast in tone to “Squid Game.” In its sixth season debut, it clocked 2.25 billion minutes of viewing, up from 1.82 billion minutes just a week prior. For the first time ever, Paramount+’s hit series “Landman” surpassed the billion-minute mark with 1.08 billion minutes viewed.

Approximately half of the most popular titles this week were movies, with “Red One”, a Christmas action comedy on Prime Video, taking the lead at 1.81 billion minutes watched. “Carry-On” from Netflix and Tyler Perry’s “The Six Triple Eight” followed closely behind with 1.54 billion and 1.33 billion minutes watched respectively. Classic holiday favorites such as “Home Alone” (917 million) and “Elf” (848 million) saw their highest viewership of the year this week.

Among the numerous shows that have amassed over a billion minutes streamed, I’m particularly thrilled about two standouts: “Bluey,” which concluded 2024 as the most-watched show of the year with an impressive 55.6 billion minutes viewed on Disney+, and “The Equalizer” series, which garnered 1.05 billion streams on both Netflix and Paramount+.

Nielsen’s streaming rankings apply solely to viewing on traditional TV screens and exclude minutes spent watching content on computers or mobile devices. These ratings only quantify the audience within the United States, not those in international regions. Here is a list of the top streaming titles from December 23-29, 2024.

Overall

1. Squid Game on Netflix was watched for a total of 4,920 million minutes.
2. Virgin River on Netflix garnered 2,250 million minutes of viewing time.
3. Red One on Prime Video was seen for 1,810 million minutes.
4. Carry-On on Netflix accumulated 1,540 million minutes viewed.
5. The Six Triple Eight on Netflix collected 1,330 million minutes of viewership.
6. Bluey on Disney+ was watched for a total of 1,170 million minutes.
7. Landman on Paramount+ was viewed for 1,080 million minutes.
8. The Equalizer TV series (Netflix/Paramount+) had 1,050 million minutes watched.
9. Home Alone on Disney+ accumulated 917 million minutes of viewership.
10. Elf on Hulu/Max was viewed for a total of 848 million minutes.

Original Series

1. Squid Game was watched for a total of 4,920 million minutes
2. Virgin River was viewed for approximately 2,250 million minutes
3. Landman garnered around 1,080 million minutes of view time
4. Black Doves (Netflix) amassed a total of 448 million minutes watched
5. No Good Deed (Netflix) had a total watch time of about 446 million minutes
6. La Palma (Netflix) was watched for around 435 million minutes
7. Beast Games (Prime Video) accumulated approximately 406 million minutes of view time
8. Your Friend, Nate Bargatze had a total watch time of about 394 million minutes on Netflix
9. Lioness (Paramount+) was viewed for around 372 million minutes
10. What If …? (Disney+) amassed a total of 367 million minutes watched

Acquired Series

1. Bluey has been watched for approximately 19,760 hours
2. The Equalizer has been viewed for about 17,633 hours
3. Dexter on Netflix and Paramount+ has been streamed for around 13,575 hours
4. Family Guy on Hulu has been watched for approximately 13,564 hours
5. Bob’s Burgers on Hulu has been viewed for about 13,400 hours
6. SpongeBob SquarePants on Paramount+ has been streamed for around 10,192 hours
7. Grey’s Anatomy on Hulu and Netflix has been watched for approximately 10,158 hours
8. The Big Bang Theory on Max has been viewed for about 9,632 hours
9. NCIS on Hulu, Netflix, and Paramount+ has been streamed for around 7,048 hours
10. American Dad on Hulu has been watched for approximately 6,854 hours

Movies

1. I’m a big fan of “Red One,” with an astounding 1.81 billion minutes watched!
2. “Carry-On” is another favorite, clocking in at 1.54 billion minutes.
3. The inspiring story of The Six Triple Eight has been viewed for a total of 1.33 billion minutes.
4. I can’t forget about “Home Alone” with its impressive 917 million minutes watched!
5. I simply adore “Elf” and the 848 million minutes it has been enjoyed.
6. The updated version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) on Peacock has been viewed for 807 million minutes.
7. The epic battle in “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” (Max/Netflix) garnered 763 million minutes of viewing time.
8. “Die Hard” on Hulu captivated audiences for a total of 721 million minutes.
9. I always look forward to “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (Hulu/Max), which has been watched for 705 million minutes.
10. Last but not least, the 2018 adaptation of “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” on Peacock was enjoyed for 704 million minutes!

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2025-01-24 01:55