The Netflix spinoff dominated the week, while NBC outpaced other broadcast networks with “Night Court” joining the leaderboard
Hello, Wisconsin! This week, ’90s fashion isn’t the only thing making a comeback, as the latest Wrap Report highlights.
Nearly two decades after the final episode of “That ’70s Show” aired, audiences were ready to return to the Formans’ basement, according to the report, which uses TV viewership trends analyzed from Samba TV’s household panel of over 25 million connected TVs, including both linear and streaming consumption. “That ’90s Show,” a nostalgic spinoff featuring characters who are relatives of the original ones, ran the tables and claimed every single spot on the top 10 most-watched streaming charts for the past week.
The premiere episode of the series nabbed the No. 1 spot and was watched by 1.7 million U.S. households in its first four days available to stream on Netflix. The rest of the 10-part series followed suit, illustrating just how bingeable the series proved to be in its first week.
Top streaming programs in the U.S., Jan. 18-24, 2023 (Samba TV)
The new series guest stars “’70s” originals Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Wilmer Valderrama throughout the season, which may contribute to viewership past its initial week.
Netflix has historically been successful in tapping into reboot magic and “That ’90s Show” is no exception. The premiere outpaced nearly every other recent reprise airing on other streaming services. The premiere of “That ’90s Show” scored a significant viewership edge over several recent revival premieres, including more than three times the audience of Peacock’s “Bel-Air,” six times the audience of Hulu’s “How I Met Your Father,” and four times HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl.”
Millennials who grew up in the era of the original show were more likely to watch than the average U.S. household. The nostalgia factor clearly contributed to the show’s reach: Millennials over-indexed across the board and those aged 25-34 were 7% more likely than the average household to tune in. Meanwhile, Gen Z audiences weren’t nearly as inclined to take a trip back in time.
The top linear shows in the U.S., Jan. 18-24, 2023 (Samba TV)
Revivals were also a theme on linear television this week, as the reboot of retro ’80s sitcom “Night Court” airing on NBC broke into the top 10 for the first time and claimed the seventh most-watched spot. While every major broadcast network appeared on the most-watched list this week, NBC captured the most share of all networks with four programs. CBS tapped into our collective need for speed with the airing of the 1986 original classic “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise, which landed at No. 8.
Fox claimed the top spot for the second consecutive week with the premiere of new series “Accused,” recounting intense stories of crime starring Rachel Bilson, Abigail Breslin, Whitney Cummings, Wendell Pierce and more. Meanwhile, ABC’s premiere of the new season of “The Bachelor” also clinched the No. 10 spot this week, with bachelor Zach Shallcross embarking on his quest to find love.
Dallas Lawrence is the SVP and head of communications and brand at Samba TV, a WrapPRO partner. For more from Samba TV, click here.
Samba TV uses television technology to power real-time insights, measurement and audience targeting to enable marketing efficiency and effectiveness. Samba TV’s proprietary first-party data from tens of millions of opted-in TVs, across more than 20 TV brands sold in over 100 countries, provides advertisers and media companies a unified view of the entire consumer journey, including currency-grade measurement derived from a 3 million household research panel balanced and weighted to the U.S. Census.
Samba TV's lead contributor is Dallas Lawrence, senior vice president of communications and brand. Lawrence previously served as the head of communications for Roku's platform business. Connect with him on Twitter: @DallasLawrence.
Samba TV
Samba TV uses television technology to power real-time insights, measurement and audience targeting to enable marketing efficiency and effectiveness. Samba TV’s proprietary first-party data from tens of millions of opted-in TVs, across more than 20 TV brands sold in over 100 countries, provides advertisers and media companies a unified view of the entire consumer journey, including currency-grade measurement derived from a 3 million household research panel balanced and weighted to the U.S. Census. Samba TV's lead contributor is Dallas Lawrence, senior vice president of communications and brand. Lawrence previously served as the head of communications for Roku's platform business. Connect with him on Twitter: @DallasLawrence.