But one such start up, Parrot Analytics has come up with a formula that can quantify the success of a streaming platform such as Netflix or Amazon Prime. The method is simple, firstly it counts the number of views of the content and secondly the enthusiasm of the viewers while watching it. This enables the platform to calculate how many viewers a show or movie is likely to attract.
The company tracks ‘demand expressions’, a metric that catches various signals from the internet such as Google search terms, pirated downloads, Facebook likes and Wikipedia traffic to determine its success.
From January to April, in all the shows measured by the company, ‘The Witcher’ generated a 57 times greater average demand than all other shows released during that time by Netflix. Even Netflix acknowledged the fact by calling the series its ‘biggest season 1 TV series ever’.
Streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+ among others make their money by the number of subscribers and not by the number of people watching their content, so it becomes difficult to gauge the popularity of a TV show or movie on the platform and that’s why Parrot Analytics is rating shows in relation to overall demand and not use rating points.
There is an information gap between streaming platforms and the creators as the latter don’t know the viewership figures for their shows until much later and this gap is filled by this company that is set out to offer licenses to big companies to give them accurate data on the viewings of their content.