Netflix chills and revamps its viewing metrics: Preliminary analysis and opportunities for research

Abstract

In November 2021, Netflix surprised industry observers by announcing the release of three data sets containing information on its viewing metrics. Up until this time, Netflix had been notoriously protective of its data, much to the frustration of industry stakeholders and researchers alike. The new Netflix data marks a significant development for researchers previously hindered by an almost total absence of information concerning product-level consumer activity in this space. Supplemented with additional information about the wider Netflix catalogue, many potential new research questions can now be examined. This study presents and discusses such opportunities. To provide context, we also present preliminary descriptive evidence on each of the three data sets. While the data currently available are limited in certain respects, we believe in time these limitations will decline providing much scope for future research.

Publication
Poetics, 96, 101738