Netflix has once again joined Barb, the first industry-owned rating service in the business
The streaming powerhouse previously exclusively provided fragments of its consumption metrics, reflecting the enthusiasm of its major conferences.
Barb will actually report her November Netflix viewing figures.
The data will be used by advertisers, opponents, and journalists to assess the success or failure of Netflix properties, which is a massive move for the streamer.
Any online business that corresponds to more than 0.5% of all identified viewing will be listed, don’t just Netflix. As a result, it is likely that content from websites like Disney and Amazon will also be available.
Only its underwriting organizations and those with a special license previously had access to Netflix’s statistics, whereas BARB has been reporting streaming viewing at both a service and program level since November 2021.
Netflix in the UK
In the UK, audience measurement and TV ratings are compiled by the Barb, or Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board.
The organization will report Netflix’s ratings in the same manner that it reports viewership for more than 300 other broadcast channels with subscribers.
The networks that Barb presently covers range from larger networks like the BBC and ITV to smaller ones like Dave and E4.
The information is released as Netflix apparently gets ready to provide an ad-supported tier for its streaming service.
Reed Hastings, the company’s co-CEO, said: “I supported the notion of Netflix viewers being assessed independently at the RTS conference in Cambridge in 2019.
“Since then, we’ve stayed in touch with Barb, and we’re happy to commit to its trusted measurement of how people watch television in the UK.”
Barb’s chief executive, Justin Sampson, said: “The new platforms and gadgets that people are using to watch their favorite television shows are taken into account as part of our audience measurement, which is always evolving.
Last year, when we began informing streaming services about our audiences, we made significant progress.
“Netflix’s support for Barb sends a strong message that what we’re doing is valuable to both new and existing participants in the industry,” says the company.
All Barb subscribers will have access to Netflix watching information starting on the morning of November 2 using its current analytic software and other systems.
Barb’s ratings during the first few weeks of the streamer’s inclusion could be significantly impacted by the timing, which coincides with the premiere of season five of the royal drama The Crown.
