The streaming landscape saw a significant shake-up as 'Neagley' commanded 1.78 billion minutes of viewing in its premiere week on Prime Video. This eight-episode binge release quickly established itself as a major player, a performance that mirrors the successful launch of 'Reacher' in 2022, which garnered 1.84 billion minutes during its own debut. The immediate impact of 'Neagley' was further underscored by Prime Video's swift decision to grant the series a second season renewal just days after its premiere.
Maria Sten takes on the titular role as a Chicago private investigator and former military colleague of Jack Reacher, bringing a fresh perspective to the popular universe. Her character's solo outing clearly resonated with audiences, demonstrating the franchise's expanding appeal and Prime Video's successful strategy in building out its cinematic universe.
Despite being dethroned by its spinoff, 'Reacher' itself continued to show formidable strength. The series, which concluded its fourth season during the measured week, secured the third spot overall with 1.42 billion viewing minutes. This represented a notable 20 percent increase in viewership week-over-week, illustrating a strong finale draw. Since its fourth season launch on August 12, 'Reacher' has accumulated a staggering 5.8 billion minutes of watch time, with prior seasons adding an additional 2.5 billion minutes, solidifying its status as a cornerstone for Prime Video.
Netflix also made a strong showing with the debut of 'Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story,' the fourth installment in its true-crime anthology. The series premiered to 1.48 billion minutes of viewing, securing the second spot on the overall charts. This performance is consistent with the previous season, 'The Ed Gein Story,' which pulled in 1.52 billion minutes during its inaugural week, indicating a reliable audience for the 'Monster' brand.
Beyond the top contenders, other streaming services also saw notable activity. Paramount+'s 'Lioness' continued its strong run, growing by approximately 8 percent to reach 897 million minutes ahead of its third season finale. Apple TV+'s 'Ted Lasso' also saw a slight uptick, logging 767 million minutes. Meanwhile, Netflix's young adult series 'Crew Girl' made its first appearance on the charts with 635 million minutes. On the movie front, Tyler Perry’s 'Why Did I Get Married Again?' on Netflix remained the top film, despite a significant 60 percent drop in its second week, accumulating 332 million viewing minutes.
It's important to note that Nielsen's streaming ratings provide a snapshot of U.S. audiences viewing content exclusively on television sets, not including minutes watched on computers or mobile devices. This methodology offers a specific, yet valuable, insight into the viewing habits of a significant portion of the streaming audience.