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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Paul Speed

Netflix to reveal how many people watch its shows across the UK for first time

The days of not knowing how many people watched The Crown or Squid Game are no more, as Netflix has signed up to TV ratings agency Barb.

This means the streaming giant's audiences will be measured by an external, independent body for the very first time.

Before this, Netflix would only release tantalising little snapshots of its viewing data, usually to emphasise the success of its most popular shows.

Barb (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board) - which compiles audience measurement and TV ratings in the UK - will begin reporting the streaming giant's viewing figures from next month. And it should make for interesting reading.

The data will be seized upon by competitors and advertisers to weigh up just how popular - or not - the industry behemoth has become.

Interestingly, it isn't just Netflix that will be releasing its figures.

Any service which makes up more than 0.5 per cent of total identified viewing will also be listed, which means data from both Disney and Amazon is likely to be included, too.

Barb will report Netflix ratings in exactly the same way it announces viewing for more than 300 other subscribing broadcast channels.

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The agency covers a wide range of networks, from mainstream channels such as the BBC and ITV to smaller services such as E4 and Dave.

The news comes as Netflix gears up to launch its much-touted ad-supported tier.

Its co-chief executive Reed Hastings said: "Back in 2019, at the RTS (Royal Television Society) conference in Cambridge, I welcomed the idea of Netflix audiences being measured independently.

"We've kept in touch with Barb since then and are pleased to make a commitment to its trusted measurement of how people watch television in the UK."

Chief executive of Barb, Justin Sampson, said: "Our audience measurement continuously adapts to accommodate the new platforms and devices that are being used by people to watch their favourite television shows.

"We took a big step forward last year when we started reporting audiences to streaming services.

"Netflix's commitment to Barb sends a clear signal that what we're doing is valuable to new and established players in the market."

Subscribers to Netflix can access viewing data for the platform from November 2.

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