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TechNetflix

The Most Popular TV Show of 2016 Was Not from a Big Network

By
Kerry Close
Kerry Close
By
Kerry Close
Kerry Close
January 4, 2017, 9:11 AM ET

Move over, CBS: Netflix (NFLX) is currently dominating the television game.

The online streaming service beat out major networks like CBS and ABC to produce the most popular show of 2016: the fourth season of Orange Is the New Black. CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, Netflix’s Stranger Things and Fuller House were next on the list, respectively, with ABC’s Designated Survivor rounding out the top five.

The data was collected by ratings startup SymphonyAM, which defined popularity by viewership in the first 35 days. The rising popularity of streaming services like Netflix has made judging a show’s viewership on only the first few days after release an inaccurate metric, according to Business Insider.

Netflix itself has always refused to reveal any viewership numbers. SymphonyAM gathered its data from an app that listens to subscribers’ TVs and estimates viewership.

Other shows that made the list include CBS’s Bull and NCIS, as well as NBC’s new drama This Is Us.

About the Author
By Kerry Close
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