Episode 7 of the dystopian Netflix drama Squid Game was the tenth most-watched programme on UK television in October.
BARB has been demonstrating what its described as “a once-in-a-generation upgrade in its audience reporting”.
BARB is now able to measure the reach and total time spent viewing SVOD services such as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix, and video-sharing platforms like TikTok, Twitch and YouTube, regardless of whether these services have chosen to subscribe to BARB, through data collected from router meters installed in BARB panel homes.
It shows Squid Game ranked in tenth place with 5.774 million viewers after BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing (10.435 million), Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off (8.889 million) and ITV’s The Larkins (6.580 million) in the top three spots respectively.
A further three Netflix shows and one Disney+ title, Black Widow, placed in the top 100 most-watched programmes in October. Amazon Prime Video’s highest-ranked entry didn’t make it into the top 100 for this calendar month.
Justin Sampson, BARB’s Chief Executive, said: “Understanding people is at the heart of BARB’s remit and it’s been clear for some time that streaming services have started to attract viewers who have traditionally relied solely on linear channels for their viewing entertainment.
“It’s great news for the television and advertising industry that we’re upgrading our always-on measurement service to include SVOD and video-sharing platforms. For the first time there is audience measurement for these services that bears all the hallmarks of a joint-industry currency: independence, objectivity and transparency.”
In October 2021, total identified viewing by everyone aged 4+ was 231 minutes per day, of which 156 minutes (or 68%) was total broadcaster viewing; 35 minutes was total SVOD/AVOD viewing, and 40 minutes was total video-sharing viewing.
From January 2022, BARB’s website will feature a regular monthly breakdown of total identified viewing including linear and on demand content.
