Why You Shouldn’t Buy Into Netflix’s Streaming Numbers
By Tess Farrand, Associate Content Editor
Though Netflix announced over the weekend that THE OLD GUARD was one of its most popular streaming movies, something doesn’t quite add up.
Netflix’s tweet reads, “THE OLD GUARD is breaking records! The Charlize Theron blockbuster is already among the top 10 most popular Netflix films ever — and Gina Prince-Bythewood is the first Black female director on the list. The film is currently on track to reach 72M households in its first 4 weeks!”
— Charlize Theron (@CharlizeAfrica) July 18, 2020
The announcement came just days after Netflix shared its Top 10 original movies of all time. Some reporters, though, question the validity of these numbers.
“The catch was that Netflix provided the ranking and the numbers itself, meaning there was no way to verify any of it,” said Sam Barsanti of the AVClub. “So the whole list was only slightly more informative than when Netflix insists that something is popular without providing any numbers at all.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Netflix’s Top 10 lists that “Netflix counts a “view” as any household that streams a movie for more than 2 minutes.” 2 minutes is in no way indicative of actual popularity.
Movieguide® has proven over decades that movies with family and faith content outperform their gratuitous counterparts in the box office. Though streaming provides a different path of revenue, it’s logical that the same formula would apply to streaming content.
If Hastings and other top executives were to include more biblical elements in their projects – redemption, forgiveness, kindness, sacrifice – they would see increase in views.
Instead, Netflix is banking on a false narrative.
Positively, Movieguide® said that THE OLD GUARD has some redeeming qualities including a Christian character. That said, THE OLD GUARD does have cautions.
Please join us in prayer for more family-friendly streaming content.
For ideas on what to watch this month, click here!
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