Disney received some good news ahead of their earnings call and it all has to do with the success of their first original Marvel series, WandaVision. The miniseries has seen a huge surge in viewership and has even risen to the status of number one series worldwide.
According to Parrot Analytics, which is an audience attention measurement system that captures an audience behavior dataset by sifting through social media, fan ratings, and piracy data to represent audience demand, the show has become the world’s most in-demand TV show across all platforms less than four weeks after its January 15, 2021, debut. This information comes to us via data provided by "Forbes."
Parrot Analytics shows that WandaVision took a bit of time to hit its stride with viewers. The show bounced between the number 7 and 35 spots worldwide soon after its debut but the surge began during its third episode released on January 22, 2021. On February 5, 2021, when episode five was released featuring the shocking return of a significant character, the Marvel series shot up to the title of “number one series worldwide.” It has remained there ever since as of February 7, 2021, the last day data was available.
The timing of viewership growth essentially coincides with the episode that many fans believe the miniseries finally found its groove. Episode 3 gave us a clearer glimpse into what was really going on in Westview and every episode since has provided more answers while also maintaining a solid sense of mystery to keep viewers intrigued. Reaction to WandaVision has all gotten increasingly more positive in recent weeks so it's no surprise that the show is seeing a surge in viewership all over the world. Parrot Analytics also believes that Disney's weekly release strategy also plays a key role in helping the numbers grow rather than releasing all at once on the platform like Netflix:
"When we see a binge release series like we do on Netflix, we’re seeing demand skyrocket at first for like a week. They really pop up at first but quickly trail off. It’s a quick hit for these streamers. Whereas with weekly release, we see popularity gradually build over time, especially for a show like The Mandalorian and WandaVision."
Nielsen also reported last week that the show finished sixth among original shows on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and Disney+ for the week of January 11-17. WandaVision joined fellow Disney+ series The Mandalorian in the top 10 originals. The healthy numbers for WandaVision are very important to the streaming service because besides the Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian, Disney+ hasn't had a huge original series since launching on November 12, 2019. Despite this, Disney+ has seen significant subscriber growth in the last 14 months they have reached 95 million subscribers.
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