Indians love to watch drama: Netflix

The Indian audience is hooked to the drama genre with shows like "Suits" and "The Good Wife" having strong followers here, says a Netflix spokesperson.

Netflix is an internet television network with over 100 million members in over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours of TV shows and movies per day.

Asked how much have Indians contributed to this data, the Singapore-based spokesperson told IANS in an email interaction: "Netflix does not release rating numbers or country-specific viewership data as traditional ratings no longer matter in a world when success isn't measured in a specific time slot."

"The way we measure success is by subscriber numbers and hours people watch -- and we release those global figures quarterly. We have been in India now for over a year and we have learned much about the market since our launch," the spokesperson said.

"As we have gotten to know people's tastes, we have shaped the service, adding content, languages and new features to provide the best possible Netflix experience. We are really only at the beginning of our journey here in India."

The spokesperson revealed the popular genre and shows among Indians.

"Indians love to watch drama and we found out that this is the most popular and watched genre. Shows such as 'Narcos', 'Suits', 'The Good Wife', 'Breaking Bad', 'Gossip Girl', 'Elementary', 'Pretty Little Liars' and 'The Vampire Diaries' are the most watched drama titles," said the spokesperson.

Other popular genres and shows include comedies such as "Orange Is the New Black", "That '70s Show", thrillers like "Stranger Things" and "House of Cards" as well as action-packed shows such as "Arrow".

Sharing more about the peak viewing time in India, the spokesperson said: "Surprisingly, 76 per cent of India's viewing hours come during day-time hours 6 a.m. - 7 p.m., compared to 46 per cent globally. All other countries in Asia-Pacific peak at 9 p.m. However, India peaks at 5 p.m."

"Compared to the rest of the world, India is 82 per cent more likely to stream at 9 a.m. and this behaviour continues on the 5 p.m. ride home too with the same binge-worthy drama titles."

The new rules of TV go beyond India as well.

While one might not expect popular parodies to stir laughs early, around 6 a.m., members are 34 per cent more likely to watch comedy compared to the rest of the day, with the new comedy wake-up block including the likes of Stephanie Tanner ("Fuller House") and Jane Villanueva ("Jane the Virgin").

Across the world, drama accounts for nearly half (47 per cent) of viewing between noon and 2 p.m. (an increase of five per cent compared to the rest of the day) to the likes of "Narcos" and "Sherlock".

Globally, 15 per cent of streaming happens between midnight and 6 a.m. and even rises as high as 21 per cent in Japan and South Korea. Documentaries see a 24 per cent increase in viewing during this time, including titles like "Abstract", "Making a Murderer" and "Planet Earth".

(Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in)

--IANS

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