Netflix Viewership Trends: Insights from a Power BI Analysis

As part of my journey at Terra Learning Bootcamp, My team and I recently completed a project analyzing Netflix viewership data using Power BI. This analysis provided valuable insights into viewer preferences and content performance on one of the world's leading streaming platforms. In this article, I'll share the key findings and their potential implications for Netflix's content strategy.

The Power of TV Shows

One of the most striking findings was the clear preference for TV shows over movies. While we didn't break this down by genre, the overall trend suggests that viewers are more engaged with episodic content. This could be due to the binge-watching culture that Netflix has fostered, or perhaps the deeper character development and complex storylines that TV series can offer.

Genre Preferences: Documentaries Lead the Pack

When it comes to genres, documentaries emerged as the unexpected frontrunner:

Documentaries: 40.82%

Drama: 18.07%

Comedy: 9.98%

Romantic Comedy: 8.44%

Thriller: 6.79%

The dominance of documentaries is particularly interesting. It suggests that Netflix viewers have a strong appetite for factual, informative content. This could be an opportunity for Netflix to invest more in high-quality documentary productions.

Mature Content Reigns Supreme

The analysis of viewership by content rating revealed a clear preference for mature content:

TV-MA: 3,561 viewers

TV-14: 559 viewers

TV-PG: 342 viewers

This suggests that Netflix's adult audience is particularly engaged, and there might be room for more diverse, mature content offerings.

Netflix Originals vs. Licensed Content

Our year-by-year analysis showed some interesting trends:

Netflix Originals maintained steady viewership of 4,462 viewers annually.

Licensed content saw significant fluctuations, with a massive spike to 126,833 viewers in 2020 (likely due to increased viewing during the pandemic), followed by a decline to 11,249 viewers by 2022.

This data suggests that while Netflix Originals provide a stable base, licensed content can drive significant spikes in viewership, particularly during unusual circumstances like a global pandemic.

Implications for Netflix's Strategy

Based on these findings, Netflix might consider:

Investing more in TV series production, particularly for mature audiences.

Expanding their documentary offerings, perhaps exploring new subgenres or innovative formats.

Maintaining a balance between original productions and strategic licensing of popular content.

Exploring opportunities in niche genres like thrillers and romantic comedies, which have smaller but loyal audiences.

Conclusion

This project not only provided valuable insights into Netflix's viewership trends but also gave me hands-on experience with Power BI and data analysis. It's exciting to see how the skills we're learning at Terra Learning Bootcamp can be applied to real-world data to derive meaningful insights.