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MGM+’s “From” is the latest series to benefit from the Netflix effect, with viewership for the mystery horror series drawing a massive audience after its licensing deal with Netflix kicked off last month that brought the first three seasons of the show to the megastreamer.
Centered on a nightmarish town that traps all those who enter, “From” gathered a small but devoted following on MGM+ — even becoming the niche streamer’s most-watched series to date — but it entered another stratosphere when its first three seasons (out of four available) dropped Oct. 19 on Netflix.
In just a matter of days, “From” went from the most-watched series on a small streamer to the No. 1 TV show across a crowded streaming landscape, shooting atop Nielsen’s streaming charts with 1.65 billion minutes viewed during the week of Oct. 19, soaring past viewership for the week’s other heavy hitters “The Diplomat” and “The Big Bang Theory.”
The term “Netflix effect” was coined because of just how prevalent viewership spikes were associated with licensed shows boarding the streamer — famously “Breaking Bad” exploded in popularity after entering the streamer in 2011, allowing a new legion of fans to catch up before new seasons aired.
But it’s been a while since that phenomenon has taken place, with the last notable title to hit that level being NBC’s “La Brea” in May. The success of “From” proves the Netflix effect is alive and well.
As Netflix faces scrutiny over engagement for its original slate, which will begin being shaped by new Chief Content Officer Peter Rice following the ouster of Bela Bajaria, licensing lesser known series, which often come from linear,representsa solid complementary strategyfor the streamer. As Netflix takes a long, hard look at what’s working and what’s not, licensing is a relatively safe way of ensuring a library of coveted content in the increasingly volatile industry.
With “From” only streaming on MGM+ since its 2022 launch, the Netflix debut exposed the niche show to a broader audience, fitting right in with the streamer’s mystery slate and “Lost”-like structure. In fact, the premise isn’t dissimilar from “The Society,” which follows a group of high schoolers who return from a field trip to find their town without any other inhabitants and blocked from the outside world. The 2019 series was canceled after just one season.
But unlike an original series like “The Society,” the small but mighty cult fanbase behind “From” has sung the show’s praises for years. That chatter might not have been enough for an average consumer to subscribe to another streaming platform like MGM+, but it was enough to encourage Netflix subscribers to hit “play” once they saw it on a streamer they are already paying for.
After launching on Netflix on Oct. 19, “From” Season 1 tallied 2.9 million views in its first week and 2.2 million views in its second, landing in the No. 7 and No. 8 spots on the English-language TV charts for their respective weeks.
Only Season 1 had big enough viewership to make it into the streamer’s top 10 titles, but when combining viewership for the first three seasons over the same week, Nielsen puts the minute viewed count at 1.65 billion, boosting it to the top of the streaming list. That number only includes viewing on Netflix, given that MGM+ titles are not measured by Nielsen unless distributed on another platform.
And while “La Brea” or “Suits” did not have the opportunity to reap the benefits of the Netflix effect with the shows off the air — no need to rehash the struggles of “Suits: LA” — having only the first three of four seasons available on Netflix naturally guides newly recruited fans to MGM+ to continue their binge of Season 4. It’s also smart to have that fourth season readily available after its spring launch, rather than hook viewers on one platform and have them wait months before transitioning to another for the rest.
MGM+ did not provide subscriber numbers or further ratings data for this story and declined to comment on whether the show’s popularity on Netflix translated to more sign-ups.
The viewership explosion comes just about six months after MGM+ renewed “From” for a fifth and final season ahead of the debut of Season 4. That final installment was slated to go into production later this year in order to debut in 2027, but with the show’s newfound audience, perhaps there’s more to be milked.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” election ratings soar
It wasn’t just the news networks that saw audiences tune in for the midterm election; Jimmy Kimmel brought its biggest audience ever for a midterm election. Viewership for the Tuesday night hit 2.4 million viewers — rising 53% over last midterm’s 1.6 million viewers — and demo viewership hit a 0.32 rating among adults 18-49 — rising 68% over last time’s 0.19 rating.
The week averaged 2.5 million viewers and a 0.23 rating, ranking as the No. 1 late night show overall for midterms week.
Tamron Hall sees viewership milestone
“Tamron Hall” scored its best demo viewership among women 18–49 in 19 months. As the show’s demo numbers rose 40% over the previous week, “Tamron Hall” secured the largest increase among all daytime network and syndicated talk shows for the week.
The daytime talker also saw growth among all key measures, with total viewers rising 8%, household ratings rising 11%, viewership among women 18–49 growing 46% and women 25–54 seeing a 9% rise. Season to date, “Tamron Hall” has scored the strongest year-over-year growth of any daytime network or syndicated talk show among both key women demos.
“The Remarried Empress” makes a splash
Romantic epic series “The Remarried Empress” premiered with a bang, ranking as the most-watched local original premiere of all time on Disney+ and Hulu globally based on 3 days of viewing data.
After premiering on Nov. 3, the series ranks as the No. 1 Korean title premiere in over 50 global markets, including the U.S., the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Disney did not provide specific viewership figures.
ICYMI:
- President Donald Trump’s post-midterms interview with Ross Douthat on “60 Minutes” drew 7.8 million viewers, the second-smallest audience for an episode featuring Trump since 2015
- “The Rainmaker” saw a 5% increase in viewership compared to its performance last season in the same timeframe, TheWrap revealed exclusively
- Netflix’s “The Diplomat” added 200 million minutes in its second week of viewing per Nielsen, bringing its viewership to 1.19 billion minutes for the week of Oct. 19
