Netflix will change the way it ranks its most popular titles

Netflix will change the metrics it uses to rank the most popular titles on its streaming service, the company said on Tuesday.

The company has traditionally ranked titles based on the completion of at least the first two minutes of a film or TV show in its first 28 days on the service. Recently, however, the company has released rankings based on the total number of hours a title is viewed — a metric it will shift to later this year

In a letter to shareholders, the company said: “There is some difference in rankings […] but we think engagement as measured by hours viewed is a slightly better indicator of the overall success of our titles and member satisfaction.

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“It also matches how outside services measure TV viewing and gives proper credit to rewatching.”

Netflix said it will start to release title metrics more regularly outside its earnings report so that members and the industry can better measure success in the streaming world.

In the past industry figures have criticised streaming platforms for not being forthright about success metrics, complicating everything from cast and crew salaries and contract negotiations.

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Last week, the company said South Korean drama Squid Games had become its biggest every series at launch. In its shareholders letter, Netflix said that a “mind-boggling” 142 million households globally had tuned into the show, based on its two-minute metric.