The year 2022 started badly for Netflix. Decrease in subscription numbers, lack of trust from shareholders and quantity over quality in the catalogue. – The streaming giant faced its first crisis. But now there should be good news again. With the new season “Stranger Things” they broke their own records, according to Netflix. The new episodes of the show have been streamed over 286 million hours so far.
With such numbers, “Stranger Things” leaves other Netflix hits like “Squid Game” and “Bridgerton” far behind. For comparison: the historical drama had 193 million hours at the start. So around 100 million less than “Stranger Things”. According to the published numbers Stranger Things is a global phenomenon. The series made the top ten most-watched Netflix shows in 93 countries. Even number one in 83 countries.
Popularity boost for Kate Bush
The 80s soundtrack is also making waves. “Stranger Things” propelled Kate Bush to the top of the Spotify and iTunes charts with “Running up that Hill”. The song, taken from the 1985 album Hounds Of Love, was streamed 150 percent more than before.
The first seven episodes of the show were already released on Netflix on May 27th. Episodes 8 and 9 will be released on July 1st – feature-length. The Duffer brothers, who serve as showrunners, are said to be coming to an end after season five. “You just have to say – yes, that’s it, that’s true for me, that’s inevitable. That’s the way it has to be,” they explained in an interview with “NME”. Spin-off series are already being considered.
+++This article first appeared on musikexpress.de+++