Netflix decided to remove the blindfold on its viewers by revealing statistics on its well-known Bird Box film.
In December 2018, the company announced that Bird Box garnered over 45 million account views within the first seven days of its release, setting a new company record.
This was a strange sight from Netflix, as the company normally keeps its viewership statistics private. Many have questioned why the company decided to reveal the number, and if it may have been skewed in some way.
According to Netflix, an account has to watch at least 70 percent of the running time before it counts as a view. This means that 45 million accounts have watched most of Bird Box.
This revelation might not be as troubling if Netflix hadn’t had issues with statistics in the past. In 2017, the company was accused of falsifying some of its ratings. The ratings seen by each viewer varies based on individual viewing habits, and Netflix only allowed people to see the ratings from other viewers with similar habits instead of seeing ratings from everyone who had reviewed the film.
Netflix is not required to reveal their data to the public. In some cases, doing so could damage the company and restrict its negotiation power with other media companies when acquiring licensing rights.
However, some Lipscomb students are buying that the numbers are accurate, despite the company’s lack of transparency.
“It makes sense that movies on Netflix would do better than movies in a theater,” junior Brianna Burch said. “As a college student, I can’t always afford to go to theaters to watch a movie. But I have subscription on Netflix, so it’s like watching a free movie.”
It’s also possible that the hype around the film led to the high number of viewers. The movie inspired “The Bird Box Challenge,” where people attempt to do various tasks blindfolded. One Utah teenager crashed her car into another vehicle while trying the challenge in early January.
“I really liked it,” Megan Ohler said of the film. “I really enjoy suspenseful movies – like A Quiet Place and Split.”
Ohler said that she would recommend Bird Box to others, but that it didn’t quite live up to the hype like she had hoped. Nonetheless, Bird Box has been one of the most talked about Nextlix original films.
Whether the statistics are exaggerated or not, it’s clear that Bird Box has given Netflix a lot of attention, and it may continue to draw viewers and headlines if “The Bird Box Challenge” remains a fad.
Photo Credit: Netflix