‘Cobra Kai’ Kicks Its Way to the Top of Two Weekly Nielsen Streaming Lists
Bolstered by the release of its third season on Jan. 8, “Karate Kid” martial arts dramedy spinoff “Cobra Kai” ended up at the top of Nielsen’s regular Weekly Top 10 list for subscription-based streaming platforms with over 2.1 billion viewing minutes for the week of Jan. 4-10. The Netflix action show also ended up in the number one slot on Nielsen’s Weekly Top 10 Originals, one of three new SVOD Top 10 lists.
In addition to the originals list, the global marketing research firm will also be pushing out weekly Top 10 lists that take into consideration acquired content and movies in an effort to provide an expanded and more inclusive look at most streamed programs for that given week. First on acquired content was mystery police procedural “Criminal Minds,” which garnered 0.84 billion minutes of watch time across its 282 episodes on Netflix, and first on movies was Disney Plus’ “Soul.” Though it finished at the top of the breakout list, its viewership numbers were less than half of the previous week’s total (0.52 billion minutes).
Notable insights from the streaming content lists include Shondaland’s first scripted Netflix show “Bridgerton,” which came in second for both Top 10 programs overall and Top 10 originals, drawing almost 1.7 billion viewing minutes across its eight episodes. Another notable data point was “Catch Me If You Can,” a 20-year-old biographical film starring a baby-faced Leonardo DiCaprio, making its way to a respectable eighth place on the Top 10 Movies charts.
The most interesting inclusion this week came from Telemundo’s biographical telenovela “Mariposa de Barrio,” which was released in 2017 on Netflix soon after its broadcast concluded on the Spanish-language network. Other regions were able to stream the series on the platform starting on Jan. 1, 2021. “Mariposa de Barrio” is the first Spanish-language program to make the list, shooting up to fifth place among acquired content and eighth overall. A contributing factor to the telenovela’s recent success on Netflix could have been that it was riding the coattails of another biographical drama about a Mexican-American singer, “Selena: The Series,” which made the SVOD Top 10 in early December. The platform’s suggestion engine may have alerted viewers to “Mariposa de Barrio” given the similarities in subject matter, which may have further propelled the show on Netflix’s Top 10. Based on Nielsen’s research analytics, 34% of viewers of “Selena: The Series” also watched “Mariposa de Barrio.”
Top 10 Programs Overall
“Cobra Kai” (Netflix) (30 episodes) – 2,107 minutes (millions)
“Bridgerton” (Netflix) (8 episodes) – 1,670 minutes (millions)
“Criminal Minds” (Netflix) (282 episodes) – 842 minutes (millions)
“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” (Netflix) (36 episodes) – 768 minutes (millions)
“Grey’s Anatomy” (Netflix) (366 episodes) – 704 minutes (millions)
“Schitt’s Creek” (Netflix) (80 episodes) – 651 minutes (millions)
“CoComelon” (Netflix) (5 episodes) – 612 minutes (millions)
“Mariposa de Barrio” (Netflix) (91 episodes) – 548 minutes (millions)
“Supernatural” (Netflix) (327 episodes) – 526 minutes (millions)
“Soul” (Disney Plus) (movie) – 520 minutes (millions)
Top 10 Originals
“Cobra Kai” (Netflix) (30 episodes) – 2,107 minutes (millions)
“Bridgerton” (Netflix) (8 episodes) – 1,670 minutes (millions)
“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” (Netflix) (36 episodes) – 768 minutes (millions)
“The Crown” (Netflix) (40 episodes) – 494 minutes (millions)
“Virgin River” (Netflix) (20 episodes) – 475 minutes (millions)
“The Mandalorian” (Disney Plus) (16 episodes) – 411 minutes (millions)
“The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix) (7 episodes) – 392 minutes (millions)
“Gabby’s Dollhouse” (Netflix) (10 episodes) – 380 minutes (millions)
“The Great British Baking Show” (Netflix) (65 episodes) – 323 minutes (millions)
“History of Swear Words” (Disney Plus) (6 episodes) – 314 minutes (millions)
Top 10 Acquired Content
“Criminal Minds” (Netflix) (282 episodes) – 842 minutes (millions)
“Grey’s Anatomy” (Netflix) (366 episodes) – 704 minutes (millions)
“Schitt’s Creek” (Netflix) (80 episodes) – 651 minutes (millions)
“CoComelon” (Netflix) (5 episodes) – 612 minutes (millions)
“Mariposa de Barrio” (Netflix) (91 episodes) – 548 minutes (millions)
“Supernatural” (Netflix) (327 episodes) – 526 minutes (millions)
“New Girl” (Netflix) (146 episodes) – 427 minutes (millions)
“NCIS” (Netflix) (35 episodes) – 418 minutes (millions)
“Imposters” (Netflix) (65 episodes) – 273 minutes (millions)
“The Blacklist” (Netflix) (152 episodes) – 264 minutes (millions)
Top 10 Movies
“Soul” (Disney Plus) – 520 minutes (millions)
“We Can Be Heroes” (Netflix) – 353 minutes (millions)
“Unknown” (Netflix) – 330 minutes (millions)
“17 Again” (Netflix) – 216 minutes (millions)
“Pieces of a Woman” (Netflix) – 190 minutes (millions)
“Moana” (Disney Plus) – 182 minutes (millions)
“Frozen II” (Disney Plus) – 176 minutes (millions)
“Catch Me If You Can” (Amazon) – 170 minutes (millions)
“Rango” (Amazon) – 134 minutes (millions)
“30 Minutes or Less” (Netflix) – 125 minutes (millions)
Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts!
