October 2nd, 2021, YouGov
This report leverages global social listening to delve into 2020’s most engaging TV & streaming series, with fascinating insights into piracy trends, popular thematic elements, and breakout hits.
Key findings include:
- Thematic engagement: Series featuring dark themes, particularly those involving Crime and/or Fantasy elements, ranked as the most engaging of 2020.
- Piracy trends: "The Mandalorian" on Disney+ emerged as the most-pirated series globally, with "The Boys" from Prime Video and "Vikings" from A&E following closely behind.
- Search popularity: Netflix Original "Bridgerton" became the most-searched title across key global territories, indicating its widespread appeal upon debut.
- Surprise breakout: "The Queen's Gambit," another Netflix Original, was 2020's unexpected success story, securing the third-highest peak Global Appetite Score among new series and drawing significant Wikipedia page traffic in numerous territories.
- Platform growth: Both Prime Video and Disney+ saw remarkable increases in global popularity compared to the previous year. In the US, HBO Max achieved the highest popularity rate.
- US favorites: Within the US, Prime Video's "Hunters" was celebrated as the most popular new series, with "Outer Banks" from Netflix and "The Outsider" from HBO completing the top three.