LOS ANGELES: Netflix said its members streamed more than 97 billion hours of content globally between January and June 2026, the highest half-year total in the company’s history, as new originals and returning franchises drove strong engagement across film and series.
In its latest “What We Watched” report, released alongside second-quarter earnings, the streaming giant identified the psychological thriller “His & Hers” as the most-watched TV title of the period, with 104 million views (Netflix counts a “view” when a title is watched for at least two minutes).
The limited series, starring Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, follows a murder investigation that forces an ex‑couple back into each other’s lives.
Top TV and film highlights
- TV / series: Alongside His & Hers, Netflix highlighted strong performances from new and continuing series, including “I Will Find You” (about 64 million views), “Run Away” (50 million), and the Korean drama “Teach You a Lesson” (48 million), five of the top 10 most-watched shows having premiered in the first half of the year.
- Franchise strength: The Bridgerton franchise as a whole drew around 180 million views in the period, with Season 4 a major contributor, though Netflix reported the figure at the franchise level rather than isolating a single season in a “top five” ranking.
- Films: On the movie side, “War Machine” led with 147 million views, followed by action titles “The Rip” (136 million), “Apex” (129 million) and “Thrash” (100 million), underscoring the platform’s push behind big-budget genre films.
The company noted that non‑English content accounted for more than a third of total views, with Korean titles among the strongest performers globally.
Reporting changes from 2027
Alongside the data, Netflix announced it would scale back its public viewership reporting, moving from twice‑yearly “What We Watched” updates to a single annual report starting in 2027, to keep the focus on core financial metrics such as revenue and operating profit.
The streamer said it will continue to publish weekly country‑level Top 10 lists and title‑by‑title data.
Context and caveats
Netflix’s figures are based on internal data and its own definition of “views,” which differs from traditional ratings. Industry observers note that while total viewing hours rose modestly—about 2% year on year in the first half of 2026—debates continue over how best to measure engagement in an increasingly fragmented streaming market.
