Most-Watched Streaming TV Series: Top 10 for August 31–September 6

There is an important development in the independent measurements of streaming content that people consume the most. If until now there had been a significant delay—four weeks—in the release of data related to subscribers’ viewing habits on the major streaming services in the United States, Nielsen has achieved the feat of making those data much more current and, therefore, more interesting, reducing the gap by more than 60%, down to just 11 days. Starting this week, we will have a sharper snapshot of what people are watching or rewatching (instead of what they watched or rewatched), allowing us to think more promptly and effectively about Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, HBO Max, Paramount+, and others’ next moves. “This is perhaps the most significant improvement to streaming-content measurements since their launch in 2017,” said Brian Fuhrer of Nielsen in a press release. “In a media landscape that is evolving at an ever-faster pace, providing our clients with more immediate and up-to-date viewing data helps them keep up with the consumers.”

Thus begins our new weekly column dedicated to the Most-Watched TV Series on Streaming of the Week, in addition to our weekly feature on the most-watched Netflix shows. In the period August 31 to September 6, the first place could only belong to television’s burly hero: Reacher, which, aided by the new fourth season, was watched for 1.24 billion minutes on Prime Video. For the series, this marks the fourth consecutive week above the one-billion-minute mark. Also notable is the result of Netflix’s soap drama Beauty in Black, returning with its third season: 1.06 billion minutes watched. It is one of three series that surpassed this threshold, along with repeats of The Big Bang Theory on HBO Max. On the same streaming service, the debut of Lanterns was watched for 500 million minutes, a promising result but below other titles such as Ted Lasso on Apple TV (899 million), Lioness on Paramount+ (805 million) and Outer Banks on Netflix (762 million). Surprisingly, given the consistent success of The Big Bang Theory, a show that ended in 2019, there is no trace of the spin-off Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. Below are the Top 10, separated by original and acquired shows, and the Top 10 overall.

Most-Watched Content in Streaming from August 31 to September 6

1. Reacher (1.246 billion minutes, Prime Video)
2. The Big Bang Theory (1.071 billion minutes, HBO Max)
3. Beauty in Black (1.058 billion minutes, Netflix)
4. Ted Lasso (899 million minutes, Apple TV)
5. The Man of Whispers (863 million minutes, Netflix)
6. Lioness (805 million minutes, Paramount+)
7. Death of the Pastor’s Wife: The Mica Miller Case (796 million minutes, Netflix)
8. Outer Banks (762 million minutes, Netflix)
9. Bluey (760 million minutes, Disney+)
10. The Mandalorian and Grogu (727 million minutes, Disney+)

Top Original Shows in Streaming from August 31 to September 6

1. Reacher (1.246 billion minutes, Prime Video)
2. Beauty in Black (1.058 billion minutes, Netflix)
3. Ted Lasso (899 million minutes, Apple TV)
4. Lioness (805 million minutes, Paramount+)
5. Death of the Pastor’s Wife: The Mica Miller Case (796 million minutes, Netflix)
6. Outer Banks (762 million minutes, Netflix)
7. The Gentlemen (722 million minutes, Netflix)
8. SEAL Team (584 million minutes, Netflix / Paramount+)
9. Silo (537 million minutes, Apple TV)
10. Leanne (485 million minutes, Netflix)

Top Acquired Shows in Streaming from August 31 to September 6

1. The Big Bang Theory (1.071 billion minutes, HBO Max)
2. Bluey (760 million minutes, Disney+)
3. Grey’s Anatomy (701 million minutes, Hulu / Netflix)
4. SpongeBob (678 million minutes, Paramount+)
5. Bob’s Burgers (603 million minutes, Hulu)
6. Heartland (547 million minutes, Hulu / Netflix / Peacock / Pluto TV)
7. Family Guy (500 million minutes, Hulu)
8. Lanterns (500 million minutes, HBO Max)
9. NCIS – Naval Criminal Investigative Service (478 million minutes, Hulu / Netflix / Paramount+ / Pluto TV)
10. The First 48 (469 million minutes, Hulu / Netflix / Peacock / Pluto TV)