This is a question that agitates fans of series and observers of streaming platforms for several years: how many views make our favorite series? Squid Game, the planetary success of Netflix, really attracted more spectators than the incomparable Game of Thrones? So far, it is difficult to know with precision, but a French measure in preparation may well settle the question.
The blur of streaming audiences: a small revolution in preparation
The audiences for streaming platforms, Netflix in mind, have always been a well -kept mystery. Unlike traditional television, where audience figures are communicated daily by specialized organizations such as mediamétrieSVOD’s services are content to publish chosen data, often coated with marketing superlatives.
Netflix said Squid Game was his most watched series, with 1.65 billion hours viewed within 28 days of its release. Impressive, of course. But without transparent methodology or external validation, these figures remain unverifiable. To spin our example, compare such results with those of Game of Thrones, distributed on HBO and measured by independent tools, is a balancingist exercise.
It is here that a major French initiative between a French initiative. From July 2025, Médiamétrie, the referent organization in terms of audience measurement in France, plans to set up a measurement system also applicable to streaming platforms. For the first time, independent, reliable and comparable figures could emerge for Netflix, Disney+, Video Prime, and maybe even Apple TV+.
The idea is not new. Since January 2024, Médiamétrie has already integrated television uses on smartphones, tablets and computers in its audience calculations. The project for SVOD platforms is a logical extension of this project. According to Yannick Carriou, CEO of Médiamétrie interviewed by Télérama, the new technologies deployed will measure both the episodes regarded and the time volumes consumed.
To harvest these precious data, Médiamétrie plans to use two main technologies:
-- The Meter streaming, which recovers the URLs viewed via the Wi-Fi network. This device will identify the platforms used and the content looked at.
- The audio fingerprinting that identifies the videos viewed from their soundtrack.
These measures are intended to be both editorial (what content is regarded?) And advertising (what audience for the advertisements inserted?). The accuracy of these technologies will vary according to the platforms. Netflix, Video and Disney+ Prime will have detailed figures, while Apple TV+ will only provide global time volumes.
Obviously, everything will not be perfect from the start. “The first results may not be completely detailed,” warns Yannick Carriou, still at Télérama. The variety of technological tools and distribution contexts complicates the task. But the objective is clear: laying the basics of an evolutionary measure, capable of improving over time.
Next March, a committee called “Cross Média Video” will bring together major players in the sector. Platforms, television groups and advertisers will work together to refine the terms of communication and data analysis. Cooperation between these different actors will be essential to guarantee the reliability of the figures.
The arrival of mediametry in the world of streaming could mark the end of an era. Netflix, Disney+ and others can no longer be content to announce audiences without explanation. Comparisons between series, so far biased by the lack of transparency, will finally become possible. So, Squid Game or Game of Thrones? The answer is not for tomorrow, but it approaches, step by step.
Source : Telerama
