A new report at Bloomberg indicates that streaming giant Netflix is having difficulty keeping its viewers around for second seasons in recent years.
The study has looked at a number of major shows that premiered in recent years and scored renewals, with many going on to third seasons.
They claim that within the first four weeks of a second season’s release, shows saw drops of first-to-second season viewership ranging from 30-70%.
The series that had the smallest drop in the sample was the live-action “One Piece” which saw it lose just over 30% of its audience from the first season to its second season.
Faring worse were “The Night Agent,” “Running Point” and “The Four Seasons” which all fell 50%, while “Beef” plummeted 70%.
In addition, the just-premiered second season of the live-action “Avatar: The Last Airbender” saw a drop of more than 60% in its first week compared to the first week of its first season.
Netflix shows have almost always historically delivered their biggest ratings in the first season, very different from broadcast TV, which generally peaks in the middle of their runs (ie. Seasons 3-4).
The report claims this sharp drop is a major source of concern for the company, which has been studying its data to figure out why it is happening.
Online reaction has been swift, with the easy majority of the blame going to the long 2-3 year gaps between seasons for series.
While Netflix remains the market leader by a long margin, the amount of time customers spent watching Netflix last year grew less than 2% last year, and that’s despite high-profile hits like the endings of “Squid Game” and “Stranger Things”.
