"Manifest," a Canceled Series From NBC, Has Been Crushing It on Netflix, NPD Says
"Manifest" was viewed by consumers more than Netflix original series, "Bridgerton," and Lifetime series, "You." After accounting for the number of content hours available for each series, "Manifest" viewers more hours in its first 28 days on Netflix, per hour of available run time, than "Bridgerton" or "You."
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Aug. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- "Manifest," a supernatural drama series from NBC, added its first two seasons to Netflix on June 10, 2021, and droves of Netflix viewers in the United States quickly took to the series. The first season rose quickly in the Netflix series ranking, based on total viewing hours in June, according to The NPD Group. While longer, multi-season series licensed from major networks tend to garner a lot of viewing hours, they don't often amass as much viewership and popularity as "Manifest" has enjoyed so far.
"Netflix has put out a strong slate of original content, ranging from comedies and dramas to documentary series," said John Buffone, media entertainment industry analyst for NPD. "Every month, new seasons of Netflix original series debut on the platform and often make it into the top tier of the rankings. However, few series that originally aired on TV networks have the trajectory of 'Manifest.'"
In its first 28 days on Netflix, an estimated 31 million households watched the first season of "Manifest." Insights from NPD's Subscription Video Track reveal that "Manifest" was viewed by consumers more than Netflix original series, "Bridgerton," and Lifetime series, "You." After accounting for the number of content hours available for each series, "Manifest" viewers watched 23.2 million hours in its first 28 days on Netflix, per hour of available run time, versus 22.5 million for "Bridgerton" and 17.7 million for "You."
Social media amplifies viewer voices
The first season of "Manifest" originally debuted on NBC in September 2018 and its second season came out in 2020. The show was renewed for a third season, which began airing in April 2021. The final episode of "Manifest" aired on the network on June 10, 2021, the same day the show's first two seasons became available on Netflix.
Even though NBC canceled "Manifest" ahead of its fourth season on the network, a new social media movement, using the hashtag, #SaveManifest, might help to bring the show back. Among them was novelist Stephen King, who tweeted the hashtag to his more than 6.5 million followers.
"Social media buzz surrounding the series might be part of the reason why, in July of this year, there were reports of conversations between Netflix and NBC to reprise the show for another season," Buffone said. "While nothing has been officially confirmed, fans are speculating that a fourth season could be announced on August 28, 2021 – or 828 – which is an important reference point in the series."
Media Contact
Lee Graham, The NPD Group, Inc., 917-806-7902, [email protected]
SOURCE The NPD Group, Inc.
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