Another year, another rush of new TV shows to watch.
Except, not. For a large chunk of the 2nd half of the year, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes brought new TV and film production to a standstill. The normally busy Fall TV season came and went, and all eyes were on the fast-approaching decisions facing networks and streamers. Which shows would make it through in 2023, which would get pushed to 2024, and which ones would just go away?
Here's a quick tease...
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For an established TV program with 5 or 10 seasons, a committed fan base could sustain an uncertain hiatus or delayed start. But new programs are different. They are uncertain, uncharted, and could end up taking the audience in directions no one could have predicted. The premiere of a TV program is not just a date on the calendar but a start to something totally new.
With Social Content Ratings’ (SCR) newly launched Premiere Performance module, the media industry can now use the first standardized social performance measurement for the premiere windows of all new and returning programs. Leveraging Gracenote Studio System data as the official source of program, season, and episode release dates, SCR’s Premiere Performance solution is the only solution that delivers trusted apples-to-apples premiere measurement across all broadcast, cable, and streaming titles.
This year we used SCR's Premiere Performance data to generate almost all of our rankings. All ten Series and Streaming Movies lists rank the best performing titles in the first thirty days from their premieres.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest newly released (and returning!) programs from this year, as we all ramp up into what will undoubtedly be a busy and exciting 2024.
Top Series Premieres
The teens were at it again this year. The season 3 premiere of Netflix's Outer Banks early in the year was the most social season premiere in its first 30 days - by a healthy margin - for any series program.
Of note, four of the Top 10 series premieres this year are broadcast or ad-supported cable programs, such as America's Got Talent, WWE Monday Night RAW, and Saturday Night Live.
Top New Series Premieres
The most social new series premieres this year were from a highly diverse set of programs. The Netflix movie-to-series spinoff, XO Kitty, topped the list followed by HBO's intense music and zombie dramas, The Idol and The Last of Us, respectively.
Of the brand new series premieres this year, seven of the Top 10 were from the pure streamers Netflix, Disney+, Amazon, and Apple TV+.
Top Returning Series Premieres
When looking at returning series, outside of Netflix's Outer Banks and Never Have I Ever, and Amazon's The Summer I Turned Pretty, it's the exact opposite.
Seven of the Top 10 returning series premieres were almost entirely broadcast programs, showing the longevity of traditional TV shows such as Saturday Night Live, WWE, Dancing with the Stars and American Idol.
Top Broadcast Series Premieres
For Broadcast networks, this year long-time franchises dominated socially. Only one "new" program AGT: All-Stars hit the Top 10 and it was a spinoff. NBC saw massive broadcast buzz scoring seven of the Top 10 social series premieres with America's Got Talent topping the list.
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Top Cable Series Premieres
Wrestling, reality, RuPaul, and zombies drove the most social energy within cable programming. Comedy Central's South Park and VH1's Wild 'n Out also scored big social returns.
Top Premium Cable Series Premieres
HBO's new series, The Idol and The Last of Us, topped all premium cable series premieres. Starz drove big buzz around four of its returning titles and Showtime's Yellowjackets and Fellow Travelers helped fill out the list.
Top Spanish-Language Series Premieres
While traditional broadcast and cable are dominated by returning series premieres, Spanish-language networks and streamers were different. Five of the Top 10 Spanish-Language premieres were new series.
Univision's Mi famoso y yo and Telemundo's Los 50 both drove impressive social engagement for new programs in their premiere windows.
Top Streaming Series Premieres
Streaming saw a more balanced mix of new vs returning programming that captured social activity in their first 30 days. Netflix garnered the most Top 10 programs with six, followed by Disney+ with three and Amazon with one.
Top Streaming Movie Premieres
In their first 30 days from release on streaming platforms, movies also drove massive social buzz in 2023. Paramount+'s Teen Wolf topped all films followed by Netflix's Extraction 2 and Disney+'s SUGA.
Top TV Specials
Traditional award shows, by and large on broadcast and cable, dominated this list driving mass live discussion as they aired.
MTV's VMAs sparked the most discussion followed by CBS's Grammy's and ABC's Oscars. Spanish-language networks Univision and Telemundo also made the Top 10 with Premio Lo Nuestro and Miss Universo, respectively.
Top Sports Events
The Chiefs besting the Eagles in FOX's Super Bowl LVII reigned supreme as the single most social telecast across all of TV.
The Messi-effect also produced huge social activity for Univision's Fútbol Leagues Cup. ABC/ESPN led social sports this year with six top spots.
Top Series Talent
This year nearly a fifth of all linear series engagement was driven by talent and their massive followings.
Katy Perry drove 3x more social conversations about her program, American Idol, than the other top talent. Katy was followed by ESPN's Adam Schefter of NFL Live and NBC's Sofia Vergara on AGT.
Methodology
- Interactions and Engagements data is for programs with premiere episodes/airings occurring Jan 1 - Oct 31, 2023. Interactions and Engagements reflect SCR’s “Extended Measurement” window for a “Premiere 30” day window.
- TV Specials and Sports Events Interactions and Series Talent Engagements reflect SCR’s “Linear” measurement (+/- 3 hours around the telecast).
To learn more about Social Content Ratings, click below
