The streaming wars continue, but now Amazon Prime Video is gaining some ground over Netflix, thanks to the viewership of its new original series The Boys. Although Netflix is still the global streaming champion, Prime Video had the largest gain in global audience demand in the third quarter (July-September), with 12.4% of global demand share, according to Parrot Analytics.
The Boys is based on the comic book of the same name, and fans on Twitter and Rotten Tomatoes love the cast, themes, and the premise of vigilantes looking to keep corrupted superheroes under control. The series premiered in July and is already slated for a second season.
During the third quarter, it was the top show for Prime Video and the fifth-most in-demand original streaming series in the U.S. and the UK. According to Nielsen ratings, The Boys averaged 4.1 million viewers an episode in the first 10 days of its release, compared to Netflix’s Stranger Things’ season-three average viewership of 8.86 million viewers per episode, with both series being released this past July.
In the grand scheme of things, these viewership numbers are surprising, considering Stranger Things has a sizeable fanbase, while The Boys is a brand new series. However, demand for Stranger Things was apparent during the first few days of its release, with Nielsen reporting that 19.17 million viewers watched the first episode between July 4 and 8.
Now, if only Prime Video would announce the release date of The Boys season two, and the same for Netflix’s Stranger Things’ season-four premier, we might get an idea of which company will win the streaming throne.
Photos: Amazon Prime Video
