Image: Élite, Netflix
This week is a momentous week for the top ten series by US demand.
To start, DC Universe’s Titans makes a debut appearance on the overall TV demand chart. Although a frequent entry on the digital original top ten, this is the first time it has also appeared in the general top ten. Further, the only other superhero series in the chart this week is The CW’s The Flash in 10th place. As Titans has enough demand to place 8th, for the first time it is America’s most demanded superhero show.
The appearance of Titans also marks another milestone for the overall chart of the top ten series by US audience TV demand. Netflix’s Stranger Things, 13 Reasons Why and Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance are now joined by DC Universe’s Titans. This is the first time that 4 digital originals have simultaneously placed on the US overall TV demand chart.
As recently as 2018, it was rare that even a single digital original entered the overall top ten. This is a strong sign that OTT platforms are now the new normal for content in the USA.
Finally, this week Stranger Things is once again the most demanded show in the USA. The sci-fi drama has now held this position for 12 weeks running. Although demand for Stranger Things has been declining week-on-week, it still averages above 100 million daily Demand Expressions. This is 25 million more than the next most demanded show, Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe.
As also shown in the overall charts, the 3 most demanded digital originals in the USA are unchanged from last week: Stranger Things is still most demanded, followed by 13 Reasons Why and Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance.
As predicted last week, Titans has overtaken Prime Video’s The Boys to be the top digital original superhero series in the US. The Boys slid two places down to place 7th this week.
A new entry to the chart is Élite, which is now the 5th most demanded digital original by American audiences. Demand for the teen drama more than doubled in demand since last week after the September 6th worldwide release of Season 2. Notably, Élite is the second Netflix original from Spain to perform well in the US, following the trail blazed by Money Heist (La Casa De Papel) in grabbing US audience and press attention. Netflix clearly foresaw the success of Élite: they ordered a Season 3 in August 2019, before Season 2 was available to audiences.
