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UK ratings agency BARB starts measuring SVoD and video-sharing audiences

Netflix’s Squid Game was the UK’s 10th most watch show in October

UK television ratings agency BARB is upgrading its audience reporting service with the introduction of SVoD and video-sharing platform measurements, and has already revealed audience figures for Netflix shows in October.

BARB says it is now able to measure the reach and total time spent viewing SVoD services such as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix, and video-sharing platforms like TikTok, Twitch and YouTube, regardless of whether these services have chosen to subscribe to BARB, through data collected from router meters installed in BARB panel homes.

In addition, BARB can also now report the audiences to programmes viewed on TV sets on the most-watched SVoD services in BARB panel homes (Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix), whether they are BARB subscribers or not, using Kantar’s SVoD programme measurement system.

The new tool shows that Netflix’s Squid Game ranked 10th in the most watched shows in October with 5.774 million viewers, after BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing (10.435 million), Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off (8.889 million) and ITV’s The Larkins (6.580 million) in the top three spots respectively.

A further three Netflix shows and one Disney+ title, Black Widow, were placed in the top 100 most-watched programmes in October. Amazon Prime Video’s highest-ranked entry didn’t make it into the top 100 for this calendar month.

Justin Sampson, BARB’s chief executive, said: “Understanding people is at the heart of BARB’s remit and it’s been clear for some time that streaming services have started to attract viewers who have traditionally relied solely on linear channels for their viewing entertainment.”

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