Netflix reveals its most-watched movies and shows for early 2023 – and it turns out we love FBI agents

What was the most watched show on Netflix in the first half of 2023? No, it wasn’t that one. And no, it wasn’t that one either…

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

For years,Netflixhas kept its viewing figures secret: it publishes its weekly streaming charts, of course, but that’s about it. That’s now changed, and the streamer says it’ll publish a “comprehensive report” twice yearly showing what its most popular movies and shows are for each six month period.

The first report, titledWhat We Watched, is available now – and the number one show globally may not be what you expect. With over 812 million viewing hours, it’s the first season of FBI thrillerThe Night Agent,which we had originally thoughtwouldn’t surpass the likes ofStranger Things.

Season two ofGinny & Georgiais at number two,The Gloryseason one is third, the first season ofWednesdayis in at number four and wrapping up the top five most watched titles in the first half of 2023 isQueen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.

What can we learn from What We Watched?

Because the data is only for the first half of the year it doesn’t tell us how many people watchedSquid Game: The ChallengeorScott Pilgrim Takes Off, both of which are likely to show big numbers for the second half of 2023.

Most, but not all, of the top 50 were available globally throughout the period – but there are some exceptions including season three of Telemundo’s drug-crime dramaLa Reina del Sur (Queen of the South), which racked up 429 million hours despite not arriving on the US version of the service until May 2023, several months after it was available on Netflix in other territories.

It’s interesting to see that Netflix hasn’t just published the winners. The report lists nearly 20,000 shows and films, and that means it includes shows that barely cracked the 100,000 hour mark.

Netflix isn’t just doing this because information is beautiful. A key part of the negotiations between entertainment firms and the actors' and writers' unions was overbetter viewership transparency. While Netflix boss Ted Sarandos says the strikes were not the main factor in releasing the report, it seems unlikely that we’d be seeing this data if it weren’t for the strike negotiations. By publishing viewing data, Netflix is giving important information not just to show creators but to its rivals too.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

You might also like

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.

Arcane season 2 was reportedly going to run for five seasons, so why is my all-time favorite Netflix show ending after two?

Scavengers Reign co-creator says the hit Netflix show with 100% Rotten Tomatoes has been canceled and fans are heartbroken

7 myths about email security everyone should stop believing