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Is Netflix’s data dump leaving advertisers in the dumps?
What’s happening:
Recently, Netflix released its first-ever What We Watched engagement report, a comprehensive look at hours viewed of Netflix titles. The report will happen twice a year, with the initial entry covering a six-month period from January to June 2023, representing 99% of viewing on Netflix and showcasing nearly 100 billion hours of viewership.
The What We Watched report has generated numerous headlines praising the streamer’s transparency, but when it comes to advertisers, industry experts tell Adweek it’s a mixed bag.
The Pros:
During a conference call with the press after the report’s release, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos noted that this is the company’s own raw, internal data, making the report an unprecedented look at viewership in the age of streaming.
“Netflix’s recent viewership data marks a positive development for advertisers, providing a solid starting point for understanding consumer preferences and the popularity of various shows and content types,” Tony Marlow, CMO at LG Ad Solutions, told Adweek.
The report showcases several impressive highlights, including The Night Agent Season 1 earning 812,100,000 hours as the most-viewed title and Ginny & Georgia Season 2 coming in second at 665,100,000 hours. However, if marketers are willing to put in some effort, Netflix’s released Excel file can also reveal broader categories, such as genres that perform well and engagement across foreign licensed content.
“It does give an advertiser a little bit clearer data for media planning,” Ross Benes, eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence, said. “We had some third-party estimates on Netflix consumption before, but you didn’t get it straight from them.”
And with more than 18,000 titles included in the report, marketers can go deep into Netflix programming.
In fact, according to Erin Schmidt, chief product placement officer at BEN, the data provides a “wealth of information” to content creators, marketers and product placement strategists.
“This comprehensive data set is a gold mine for understanding viewer preferences and behaviors,” Schmidt said. “For marketers and brands, this means a more targeted approach to product placements.”
