Netflix audience data, streaming industry discourse, and the emerging realities of 'popular' television

Using the media industry studies approach, this article provides a history of the industrial discourses surrounding Netflix's audience data. From Netflix's entry into the streaming market in 2007 until late-2018, the company did not publicize information about viewership. During this time, executives' public discussions of proprietary data are understood in relation to multiple organizational goals: differentiating the streaming platform from the traditional television industry, denigrating traditional television industry practices, and deflecting criticism. In late-2018, the company began selectively publishing viewership numbers for a small number of original titles to highlight the popularity of the platform's original content. Although the company maintains its anti-transparency policies, the shift toward selective data releases has significant implications regarding Netflix's relationship with the traditional television industry. This analysis concludes with a discussion of streaming audience data that situates in the emerging realities of 'popular' television in the context the medium's broader transformations and continuities.

Automated summary

By utilizing the media industry studies approach, this article presents a history of industrial discourses surrounding Netflix's audience data, highlighting the company's evolving strategies in disclosing viewership information. The analysis concludes with a discussion on the significant implications of Netflix's audience data within the emerging realities of 'popular' television.