Netflix took the ax (or in this case the “Hatchet”) to all other streaming platforms this week, running the table and claiming every single spot on this week’s Wrap Report with the newly released documentary, “The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker,” climbing to the top spot.
The Wrap Report provides an exclusive first look at the most-watched movies and individual TV programs from the past week across both linear television and streaming from data analyzed from Samba TV’s panel of more than 3 million households drawn from over 25 million connected TVs balanced to the U.S. Census.
In a week full of Netflix news, this week’s top performing programs only further cemented the streamer’s dominant position in today’s crowded content field. Announcing last week that it had topped its own projections in subscriber growth after it debuted its ad-supported plan, it’s clear Netflix has no plans to throttle back on content investments as it expands its audience reach deeper into the ad-supported world.
Led by a trio of feature-length films, the soon to be Hastings-less streamer edged out all other content this week. Following “Hatchet,” Netflix’s “Dog Gone,” a family-friendly tale about a beloved pet who goes missing starring Rob Lowe, leaped to the No. 2 spot. “The Pale Blue Eye” dropped from its previous perch at No. 1 to round out the top three spots this week. Notably, just two Netflix original streaming shows captured the remaining seven spots on the leaderboard.
“Vikings: Valhalla” — the sequel to the popular History Channel series, “Vikings” — features a new season chronicling the beginning of the end of the Viking Age, following some of the most famous Vikings in history. The first two episodes nabbed spots four and five this week.
“Ginny and Georgia’s” sophomore season managed to hang on in the charts this week, with audiences eager to binge the second half of the season. Episodes five through nine locked down the remaining five spots on the charts this week as the program continues to attract younger millennial household audiences, which were 14% more likely to watch than the average U.S. household. Black households significantly over indexed for the show, which features a young woman of color as one of its leads. Black households were more likely to watch than the average U.S. household by 20%.
On linear television, every major broadcast network made an appearance on the charts this week, led by Fox’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.” NBC secured the most top 10 programs by nabbing six of the most-watched programs in all of television, with “Chicago Med” and “Chicago Fire” leading the way. CBS’ East New York fell from the top spot last week to the No. 10 spot this week.
Another big premiere that aired on both linear television in addition to streaming was HBO’s “The Last of Us.” The first episode outpaced HBO’s hit series “The White Lotus” (Season 2, Episode 1) by 62% with U.S. households in its inaugural release, illustrating just how strong of a premiere this was for the new series. “The Last of Us” also posted strong viewership among Hispanic viewers, with these audiences 23% more likely to watch than the average U.S. household. With on screen representation playing an important role in attracting diverse audiences, the diversity of the cast, which features several leading actors of Hispanic descent, HBO’s ongoing commitment to diverse casts continues to help the streamer break through to underrepresented audiences.
Dallas Lawrence is the SVP and head of communications and brand at Samba TV, a WrapPRO partner. For more from Samba TV, click here.
