Netflix Crushes CBS, ABC, And More For Most Popular TV Show Of 2016

Netflix absolutely dominated in viewership this year, and was able to crush major networks like […]

September 5, 2017, 10:03pm

Netflix absolutely dominated in viewership this year, and was able to crush major networks like CBS and ABC to produce the most popular show of 2016.

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The past year, the fourth season of Orange is the New Black was easily the most popular series of 2016, according to Fortune. Not only did Netflix have the number one most popular show, but also was incredibly able to lock down three of the top five spots.

The rest of the top five shows included CBS’s The Big Bang Theory in second, Netflix’s Stranger Things in third, Netflix’s Fuller House in fourth, and ABC’s Designated Survivor in fifth.

Business Insider explained that the data was collected by ratings startup SymphonyAM. The popularity for each show was defined by viewership in the first 35 days. Because Netflix and other streaming services have become increasingly popular, the rating system took into account that judging viewership on only the first few days since the release wasn’t the most accurate metric.

In the past, Netflix has refused to release any viewership numbers. If the online streaming service was calculating viewership in the same fashion as SymphonyAM, Netflix likely would be jumping at the chance to reveal how dominant the company was in 2016.

Here’s the full list of the top 25 shows according to SymphonyAM:

1. Orange Is The New Black – Netflix (Season 4)

2. Stranger Things – Netflix

3. The Big Bang Theory – CBS

4. Fuller House – Netflix

5. Designated Survivor – ABC

6. Bull – CBS

7. NCIS – CBS

8. This Is Us – NBC

9. Modern Family – ABC

10. Scorpion – ABC

11. Empire – Fox