27.1 Million Views in 35 Days
The Only Non-English Series to Top the List
Season 2 of the Korean drama "Squid Game" on Netflix (hereafter "Squid Game 2") was ranked as the most-watched TV series in the United States during the first half of this year.
On May 29 (local time), the American media outlet Variety reported, citing data from the media ratings agency Nielsen, that "Squid Game 2" topped the "Top 100 Most-Watched TV Series of the 2024-2025 Season" ranking. This survey analyzed the viewing patterns over a 35-day period for titles available on cable TV channels and streaming platforms in the United States, with the cutoff point being early April.
Nielsen had previously only counted shows aired on cable TV channels, but for the first time, it conducted a "multi-platform" survey that included streaming channels. As a result, "Squid Game 2" recorded 27.1 million views (based on average counts) over 35 days, far surpassing the second-place Netflix original series "Boy's Time," which had 19 million views.
In particular, among the younger audience aged 18 to 49, "Squid Game 2" also ranked first with 17.4 million views. The gap with the second-place "Boy's Time" (9.2 million views) was nearly double.
Most of the titles included in the top 100 were English-language content produced by Hollywood studios in the United States or by studios in the United Kingdom, making the achievement of the Korean drama "Squid Game 2" even more remarkable. Among the top 10 titles across all age groups, half were Netflix originals.
Netflix plans to release "Squid Game 3," the sequel to the "Squid Game" series, on June 27. "Squid Game 3" will consist of seven episodes and was filmed consecutively with season 2.
Previously, Netflix announced that the total worldwide view count for "Squid Game 2" in the fourth quarter of last year reached 165.7 million.
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