2020 has been branded with an assortment of labels and titles, but from a media perspective, it was a truly transitional year for streaming video. With dramatic impacts to traditional staples like live sports, and an anxiety-inducing hyper news cycle alternating between COVID updates and political divisiveness, streaming video provided a much needed escape.
While the massive spikes in media usage that sparked streaming enablement into near ubiquity weren’t unexpected given countrywide lockdowns, the aftermath reflects a permanently altered media landscape, with video streaming accounting for a larger share of overall media consumption than in previous years.
Unsurprisingly, streaming platforms have become video wellsprings for content-hungry consumers, with well-advertised originals like Ozark, The Boys and The Mandalorian grabbing much of the spotlight.
TOP STREAMING CONTENT OF 2020 – ORIGINAL SERIES
Rank | Program Name | SVOD Provider(s) | # of Episodes | Minutes Streamed (Nearest Million) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | OZARK | Netflix | 30 | 30,462 |
2 | LUCIFER | Netflix | 75 | 18,975 |
3 | THE CROWN | Netflix | 40 | 16,275 |
4 | TIGER KING | Netflix | 8 | 15,611 |
5 | THE MANDALORIAN | Disney+ | 16 | 14,519 |
6 | THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY | Netflix | 20 | 13,470 |
7 | GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW | Netflix | 65 | 13,279 |
8 | BOSS BABY: BACK IN BUSINESS | Netflix | 49 | 12,625 |
9 | LONGMIRE | Netflix | 63 | 11,382 |
10 | YOU | Netflix | 20 | 10,965 |
Source: Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Hulu), Nielsen National TV Panel, U.S. Viewing through Television. U.S. Persons 2+, Total Minutes Viewed During 2020 (December 30, 2019 through December 27, 2020).
Read as: Ozark had nearly 30.5 billion minutes streamed.