2022 has been a terrific year for streaming platforms as several viewership records get broken. Netflix dominated the streaming industry with a big number of its titles makes it to the list of most streamed shows and movies in 2022. In fact, of all the weeks in 2022 for which streaming viewership data is currently available, titles on Netflix topped every week except four.
The streaming service made a huge comeback in May after losing subscribers for the first time in 10 years. The fourth season of Stranger Things debuted on the streamer on May 27. It turned out a game-changer and broke almost all possible streaming records. It remained at No. 1 on the streaming charts for eight weeks.
Stranger Things 4 is now Netflix’s most-watched series (non-English), based on its own reporting of total hours viewed in the first 28 days of the title’s release. The sci-fi series racked up 1.35 billion hours of watch time in the first 28 days. Squid Game Season 1 remains the most-watched series on Netflix with a watch time of 1.65 billion hours in the first 28 days.
If we look at what’s dominated the streaming charts, crime and sci-fi fantasy dramas once again captured viewers. Let’s have a recap of streaming highlights to know better about the viewership numbers. All stats are based on Nielsen streaming ratings, which cover U.S. viewership of Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, and Apple TV+.
Monthwise most viewed streaming titles in 2022
In January, the first part of the final season of Netflix’s crime drama Ozark was the first choice of viewers. It recorded around 491.1 million hours in the first 28 days, topping the weeks at the no.1 list for six weeks.
Inventing Anna, a fictional version of the true story of a con woman pretending to be an heiress, grabs viewers’ attention. It garnered 3.3 billion minutes in its first week.
In March, Bridgerton Season 2 became Netflix’s most-watched English-language show in its first 28 days, a record soon broken by Stranger Things Season 4. Season 2 of the royal romance drama clocked a watch time of 656.26 hours in the first 28 days. It topped the ‘weeks at no.1’ list for three weeks.
Better Call Soul was one of the top shows of the year. Released in April on Netflix, this Breaking Bad spinoff series, clocked an average of 2.2 million viewers for each episode of the final season.
In May, Stranger Things Season 4 ruled the streaming charts. Millions of viewers across the watched the fantasy drama, helping Season 4 break almost every streaming record in the book—including the viewing time of its first 28 days, at 930.3 million hours. The next season of the show due to release in 2023 is expected to repeat this success story.
After making millions in cinemas, Marvel’s Doctor Strange 2 made its streaming premiere in June. It set up a Disney+ record for the highest viewership in a program’s first five days.
In July, the most expensive Netflix movie, The Gray Man made its debut on the platform and needless to say, it was one of the most viewed streaming titles of the month.
August was a huge month as the two most anticipated shows made debuts. The Lord of the Rings prequel, The Rings of Power, surpassed HBO’s much-anticipated House of the Dragon. However, this factors in only streaming figures, not the views on HBO’s cable service.
September saw Cobra Kai Season 5 top the ‘weeks at no.1’ list for six weeks.
In October, Dahmer, a true crime show, that tells the true story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer broke Netflix’s record for the most-streamed new show in its first week. Hocus Pocus 2 became the most-watched movie ever on Disney+.
2022 Streaming: A look at Highlights
New budgeting records
Not only viewership records, the year 2022 saw new budgeting records with Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power becoming the most expensive series ever produced, with a gigantic budget of 715 million USD.
Netflix also set a record with The Gray Man, the most expensive movie made by the service to date with a cost of 200 million USD.
Individual records for streaming services
- Doctor Strange 2 set up a Disney+ record for the highest viewership in a program’s first five days.
- Dahmer, a fierce series about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, broke a record for the most-watched new show on Netflix in its first week.
- Reacher became the first TV series created by the streamer to hit No. 1 to top Nielsen’s streaming rankings. For the week of Feb. 7-13, the series came in at No. 1 on the top 10 list of SVOD titles, with 1.589 billion minutes watched during its first full week of availability.
Netflix dominated the list of most streamed movies and shows
Stranger Things, Ozark, Cobra Kai, Bridgerton, Dahmer, and Virgin River helped Netflix dominate the streaming industry in 2022. Stranger Things broke all possible streaming records as it remained the most-watched streaming title for 8 weeks straight.
Ozark and Cobra Kai ruled the “weeks at No.1” list for 6 and 4 weeks respectively. Inventing Anna, Bridgerton, and Dahmer topped the list for three weeks.
While in 2021 viewers watched a more diverse selection of shows, fantasy and sci-fi were the taste of 2022.
True crime dramas once again impressed viewers
True-crime documentaries and dramas once again garnered huge viewership. It has been a hot favourite streaming genre for years now.
The Tinder Swindler, a documentary about Israeli conman Simon Leviev who used Tinder to meet and date various women before emotionally manipulating them into giving him money, became Netflix’s most-watched documentary ever.
Dahmer—Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, the mini docu-series about American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, became the most-watched new show on Netflix in its first week.
The mystery thriller Luckiest Girl Alive based on her 2015 novel of the same name received a great response upon in premiere on Netflix.
What are your views on these streaming highlights of 2022? Let us know in the comments!
