Netflix released its most comprehensive report on what its subscribers are watching. The report states that Nigerian Netflix originals Shanty Town and Far From Home were among the top 10 most viewed Netflix African Original content. Shanty Town came in second on the list with 27,300,000 hrs only behind Unseen S1 from South Africa with 60,000,000 hrs watch time. Far From Home which received positive reviews came in 10th receiving 9,800,000 hrs.
The “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report” report is the inaugural release covering hours viewed from January to June 2023. Any new programming premiering on Netflix after June 2023 is not included.
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Netflix African Market Report 2016-2022 released earlier this year showed that the company invested more in South Africa than in other African countries such as Nigeria and Kenya. It also reported that the streaming company commissioned 16 titles in SA while Nigeria had just three commissioned titles within that period.
The inaugural “What We Watched” report is the first of what will become a biannual report providing insights into viewership trends, covering key aspects such as hours viewed, premiere dates, and global availability. The report represents 99 percent of Netflix viewing and covers over 18,000 titles, totalling nearly 100 billion hours, for a complete view of what’s being watched.
Here’s a list of the top 10 highest-ranked African Originals or licensed titles from January – June 2023.
-UNSEEN S1 (South Africa) | Mar 2023 | 60,000,000 hrs
-SHANTY TOWN S1 (Nigeria) | Jan 2023 | 27,300,000 hrs
-KINGS OF JO’BURG: S1 (South Africa) | Dec 2020 | 22,700,000 hrs
-KINGS OF JO’BURG: S2 (South Africa) | Jan 2023 | 20,600,000 hrs
-YOUNG, FAMOUS & AFRICAN: S2 (South Africa) | May 2023 | 17,500,000 hrs
-INUMBER NUMBER: JOZI GOLD (South Africa) | Jun 2023 | 11,700,000 hrs
-BLOOD & WATER: S3 (South Africa) | Nov 2022 | 10,300,000 hrs
-WILD IS THE WIND (South Africa) | Oct 2022 | 10,300,000 hrs
-I AM ALL GIRLS (South Africa) | May 2021 | 10,100,000 hrs
-FAR FROM HOME: S1 (Nigeria) | Dec 2022 | 9,800,000 hrs
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According to reports by Akoroko Africa, South African titles dominate and this list aligns with the November 2023 report from global technology research powerhouse Omdia, which revealed that South Africa is Netflix’s primary market, accounting for over 73 percent of subscriptions and about 70 percent of revenue from the continent in 2022.
Netflix’s first African Original series QUEEN SONO and BLOOD & WATER which were both released in the first half of 2020 are still racking up hours of viewing time almost four years later; Queen Sono is at 2.6 million hrs while BLOOD & WATER: S1 stands at 8.6 million hrs.
