Something strange was going on last week as we waited for Nielsen numbers that never materialized. For the first time we can recall, the ratings were kept private. Thankfully, we have them and we’re sharing them.
It was a horrific week for Disney+ in terms of ratings in the week prior to The Mandalorian’s release. Maybe that’s why we weren’t supposed to see them? Whatever happened, we finally have the numbers for you in terms of streaming in the final full week of February. Netflix continued to absolutely dominate the Top Ten with incredible Outer Banks and Murdaugh Murders viewership. HBO Max also had a strong showing with The Last of Us. Notice that The Last of Us — not exactly the biggest property in the world — is still pulling something akin to double what a “big” Lucasfilm or Marvel show on Disney+ is able to achieve. That’s a major warning sign to anyone not yet understanding the dire impact of bad programming from Mickey and Friends.
In terms of what people are watching on Disney+, it isn’t much. In fact, it now appears that HBO Max can legitimately be said to have taken a position moving ahead of Disney+ in terms of big streaming shows. That’s unbelievable just a few months ago. Yet only Bluey is on any list for Disney outside of movies. There, Black Panther Wakanda Forever had another huge drop after a tremendous start out of the gate — one that gave the rest of us hope for Disney to have turned a corner with audiences. But that was not to last. And, also of note, Encanto drops off all top-ten lists for the first time since it premiered on Disney+ while 2016’s Moana continues to be a resident of the charts. Moana is easily Disney’s most popular princess at this point. Frozen isn’t close.
One other item of major significance: South Park on HBO Max is a tremendous ratings pull for a show that likely has a tiny production budget compared to other animation efforts. And it continues to do so even this far into a historic run.
Thank you so much to @NowItsKnown on Twitter for the information provided to WDW Pro. Sources such as MAC are invaluable to all of us here at That Park Place and on the WDW Pro YouTube Channel.
