Netflix has signed up to ratings agency BARB.

For viewing from November 1st, BARB will report Netflix viewing every day at both a service and a programme level to its clients.

This will be in the same way it reports viewing for over 300 other subscribing broadcast channels, broadcast video-on-demand (BVOD) and advertising/subscription video-on-demand (AVOD/SVOD) services.

Reed Hastings, Co-CEO of Netflix, said: “Back in 2019, at the RTS conference in Cambridge, I welcomed the idea of Netflix audiences being measured independently. We’ve kept in touch with BARB since then and are pleased to make a commitment to its trusted measurement of how people watch television in the UK.”

Justin Sampson, Chief Executive of BARB, said: “Our audience measurement continuously adapts to accommodate the new platforms and devices that are being used by people to watch their favourite television shows. We took a big step forward last year when we started reporting audiences to streaming services. Netflix’s commitment to BARB sends a clear signal that what we’re doing is valuable to new and established players in the market.”

This news comes less than a year after BARB introduced an upgrade of its daily audience reporting. Since November 2021, streaming services have been an integral part of its reporting of what people watch across linear and on-demand services. Its daily reporting includes aggregate-level viewing to SVOD/AVOD and video-sharing platforms, as well as content ratings for shows on the leading SVOD services.

From the second week of November 2022, BARB will publicly report the monthly reach and share of viewing for broadcaster groups and SVOD/AVOD services which account for more than 0.5% of total identified viewing.

Also from November, BARB will extend its weekly reporting of the top 50 shows to include shows across all linear channels and SVOD service providers.

Jon Creamer

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