Although cinema attendance figures and TV viewing figures are now very well recorded worldwide, the figures in the streaming sector remain largely a mystery. Netflix is now quite transparent, publishes weekly lists on its own page and has recently even made extensive data available for the entire first half of 2023.
Because there is such a gap, other companies are filling it. The leader here is Nielsen, which is not only responsible for recording TV ratings in North America, but has also been making streaming ratings available for some time. And the Nielsen numbers for “Reacher“make it clear what a mega hit the action series on Amazon Prime Video is in its second season.
The Nielsen figures always appear with a slight delay. The current and most recent data are therefore for the week from December 11 to 17, 2023. These are the values for the week in which the first three episodes of the second season of ‘Reacher’ were released in one fell swoop (such as today’s already the seventh episode). So these are the first numbers we have for the start of the second season – and they are impressive.
Because Nielsen reports that “Reacher” was watched approximately 1.7 billion minutes in the U.S. in the opening week of its second season – more minutes than any other series from any streaming provider. This is also a value that is approximately at the level of the opening week of the first season – with a huge difference. At the time, all episodes were available to binge at once, this time only three episodes. Sure, the new numbers may have been pushed a bit by people rewatching the first season or simply discovering it, but that doesn’t change how impressive the values are.
‘Reacher’ was probably by far the most watched series in North America during that period. Our analysis of other data providers shows that this does not have to be an exceptional phenomenon. ‘Reacher’ is a worldwide mega hit and it is no coincidence that it has topped the streaming charts on Amazon Prime Video for weeks in around 90, sometimes even up to 100, countries around the world.
‘Reacher’ will continue – possibly for a very long time
So it’s no wonder Amazon Prime Video wants more from “Reacher.” A third season is already in the works and probably won’t be the last. Lead actor Alan Ritchson can imagine himself playing the character for many, many years. There is enough material. There are already 28 books by bestselling author Lee Child about the tough ex-military police officer Jack Reacher. Since the 25th novel, he has been writing it together with his younger brother Andrew Child, who gradually takes over the novel series and continues it alone. There will likely be many more titles to come.
First of all, the second season on Amazon Prime Video is coming to an end. As mentioned, the seventh episode can be streamed from today. The big season finale will follow on January 19, 2024.