The Sandman tops the Nielsens on but will it ensure renewal? We discuss all the numbers
It failed to conquer the chart on release weekend, but after a full week, The Sandman tops the Nielsen original streaming chart for August 8-14, but Stranger Things gave it a run for its money. Last week we suggested:
The Sandman at #1 with Locke & Key coming in thanks to the release of season 3 (the final season). We’re more confident Virgin River and Stranger Things will have dropped, and we might lose Only Murders as well as The Umbrella Academy
Let’s look at the actual numbers…
The Nielsen US data for August 8-14
We take the source and add the columns marked ‘*’.
| Rank | Streamer | Series | #Episodes | Ep length (mins)* | Total Minutes (Millions) | Episode Watches* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netflix | The Sandman (2022) | 11 | 50 | 1,386 | 27,720,000 |
| 2 | Netflix | Stranger Things | 34 | 75 | 1,123 | 14,973,333 |
| 3 | Netflix | Virgin River | 42 | 45 | 934 | 20,755,556 |
| 4 | Netflix | Locke & Key | 28 | 40 | 919 | 22,975,000 |
| 5 | Netflix | I Just Killed My Dad | 3 | 42 | 655 | 15,595,238 |
| 6 | Netflix | Never Have I Ever | 30 | 28 | 596 | 21,285,714 |
| 7 | Hulu | Only Murders In The Building | 18 | 60 | 379 | 6,316,667 |
| 8 | Prime Video | A League Of Their Own | 8 | 60 | 326 | 5,433,333 |
| 9 | Netflix | Instant Dream Home | 8 | 60 | 322 | 7,488,372 |
| 10 | Netflix | Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99 | 3 | 60 | 305 | 6,489,362 |
The Sandman tops the chart — but is it enough for a renewal?
Gathering more than a billion minutes, The Sandman takes the top spot this week but will the show renew? As of the time of writing we’ve had more data from Netflix (the Nielsens lag) and while good, the numbers week on week aren’t super-stellar. The figure above is only 30% more than the opening weekend, and these are for seven days not three. The show may be a slow grow that hangs in for several weeks, but with the cost of the show a renewal is far from guaranteed.
What else happened?
As the Nielsens add up all views of every season (which Netflix don’t in their Top 10), both Stranger Things and Virgin River are still going strong. Locke & Key only managed a debut at #4 for its final season, and the bulk of the rest of the content is either very US focussed (eg A League of Their Own) or documentaries / DIY shows. The exception is our favourite, Only Murders in the Building. The audience is solid and we wish the show well in tonight’s Emmys.
What are we looking out for next time?
The Netflix data for the week 15-21 August suggest The Sandman keeps the top spot, with comedy Never Have I Ever doing well and a newcomer in the form of limited series Echoes. Locke & Key, Virgin River and Stranger Things will still appear. Over on Disney+ we’re also looking out for She-Hulk and expect Only Murders to still make an appearance.
Whatever happens, we’ll bring out usual unique insight.