Stranger Things 4 Sets Streaming Record, According to Nielsen

Stranger Things has dominated social media conversation all summer, and the numbers are reflecting it. According to Nielsen (via THR), the Netflix staple did 5.14 billion viewing minutes in its premiere week of May 23 through May 29 and added another 7.2 billion viewing minutes in the following week of May 30 through June 5. This brings the show's viewership total to 12.34 billion minutes, which is the highest weekly total for any streaming title since weekly rankings became available two years ago. It was also noted in the report that no streaming series that Nielsen has measured had ever done 6 billion minutes in a single week. Previous Netflix powerhouses, Tiger King and Ozark, did 5 billion minutes in a single week. It's worth mentioning that both shows achieved that feat in spring 2020 while pandemic lockdowns were in place.

Looking towards other streamers, Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi scored an impressive 958 million minutes of viewing time in its second week, which nearly mirrors its premiere week of 1.03 billion minutes. Its worth noting that Kenobi only had three total episodes available across its first two weeks, while Stranger Things has three complete seasons (25 total episodes) as well as seven new episodes available for its first 14 days. Nielsen's measurements account for all available episodes of a series.

On the Amazon Prime side, The Boys did 919 million viewing minutes upon its June 3 debut. The dark comedy superhero serious dropped three episodes from its new season on premiere day, and has two complete seasons (16 total episodes) already available to watch.

For comparison, Stranger Things sits comfortably atop Netflix's original programs' viewing minutes, while the only comparable show is acquired series All American with 1.25 billion viewing minutes. You can see the full top tens for comparison below (h/t THR):

Original Series

1. Stranger Things (Netflix), 7.2 billion minutes viewed
2. The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix), 966 million
3. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+), 958 million
4. The Boys (Prime Video), 919 million
5. Ozark (Netflix), 644 million
6. Wrong Side of the Tracks (Netflix), 291 million
7. Grace and Frankie (Netflix), 271 million
8. Night Sky (Prime Video), 242 million
9. Workin' Moms (Netflix), 215 million
10. Floor Is Lava (Netflix), 214 million

Acquired Series

1. All American (Netflix), 1.25 billion minutes
2. NCIS (Netflix), 692 million
3. Cocomelon (Netflix), 615 million
4. Criminal Minds (Netflix), 558 million
5. Gilmore Girls (Netflix), 438 million
6. Grey's Anatomy (Netflix), 388 million
7. Supernatural (Netflix), 367 million
8. Outlander (Netflix), 364 million
9. The Big Bang Theory (HBO Max), 352 million
10. Friends (HBO Max), 346 million

The complete Season 4 of Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix. You can check out ComicBook's review of Season 4 Volume 2 now!