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Netflix's Record-Breaking Fantasy The Witcher Reaches 76 Million Views For Season One

Netflix's Record-Breaking Fantasy The Witcher Reaches 76 Million Views For Season One

It's become Netflix's most watched opening season.

Nathan Ryland

Nathan Ryland

Netflix fantasy TV Series The Witcher was only released little over a month ago, but that hasn't stopped it becoming the platform's biggest opening season ever - reaching 76 million households.

The show's first season - which currently has an 8.4/10 rating on IMDB - had millions watching Henry Cavill in his lead role as Geralt of Rivia.

The Witcher
The Witcher

By comparison, the second season of another hit Netflix show You managed to reach 54 million households in the four weeks after its release. Ryan Reynolds action movie 6 Underground was streamed to 83 million homes in the same time frame.

These figures are a result of Netflix's shift in the way it calculates viewing figures, however. Previously, the streaming service's viewer numbers were based on accounts that had watched at least 70% of an episode or film.

They have since changed their methods to base their figures on how many people have 'requested' the title. So if you play an episode or a film, even for as little as two minutes, that will be added to their viewing figures.

Netflix's new methods are used by many other media platforms, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Our new methodology is similar to the BBC iPlayer in their rankings based on 'requests' for the title, a Netflix spokesperson said.

Joe Goldberg crept into 54 million homes thanks to Netflix  (
You/Netflix)

They say that it levels the playing field for all the different types of content on their platform, such as long titles, short titles and interactive content.

The Witcher has been well received among fans and critics alike, and back in November show runner Lauren S.Hissrich confirmed the show would be returning for a second season. The release date is yet to be confirmed.

It will be interesting to see if the second season can break the 76 million barrier, especially considering Disney's streaming service Disney Plus will be coming to the UK and Europe in March to go head to head with Netflix for viewers and subscribers.


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