Amazon's Newest Hit Just Blew Every Netflix Show Out of the Water

By Charlie Ridgely

Netflix usually conquers the streaming ratings, with most of its original shows outpacing the titles on rival streamers. That's not the case in the latest round of streaming numbers from Nielsen, which shows a series from Amazon Prime Video speeding past all of the competition, including every Netflix original title. The Wheel of Time, Amazon's expensive new fantasy series, has taken the streaming crown, at least for one week.

According to the latest report from Nielsen, The Wheel of Time was the most-watched TV show on any streaming service for the week of November 15th to November 21st. During that span, The Wheel of Time was viewed for more than 1.1 billion minutes, nearly doubling the second place series. Netflix's Tiger King, which recently returned with a second season, logged 685 million minutes that same week.

Maybe the most impressive part of The Wheel of Time's dominance is that the series had significantly fewer episodes available than the other top streaming shows. Amazon releases three episodes of Wheel of Time for its premiere, and those were the only three available for the week being counted. Both You and Narcos: Mexico had 30 episodes available at that time, while Tiger King had 13 and The Great British Baking Show had 74.

Here's the official synopsis for The Wheel of Time:

"The Wheel of Time is one of the most popular and enduring fantasy series of all time, with more than 90 million books sold. Set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it, the story follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.

Based on Robert Jordan's best-selling fantasy novels, The Wheel of Time was adapted for television by executive producer/showrunner Rafe Judkins. Larry Mondragon and Rick Selvage of iwot productions, Mike Weber and Ted Field of Radar Pictures, Darren Lemke, Marigo Kehoe, and Uta Briesewitz will also serve as executive producers, with Briesewitz set to direct the first two episodes. Rosamund Pike will serve as producer and Harriet McDougal and Brandon Sanderson as consulting producers. The Wheel of Time is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television."

What do you think of The Wheel of Time's new streaming dominance? Have you been enjoying the series? Let us know in the comments!

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