It is mid-2025 and Apple TV+ is probably experiencing its most successful period ever. The proof is the recent Nielsen ranking, which reveals 10 most watched shows on streaming platforms for this year. And Apple in it tooneplays a dignified role.
Netflix dominates the rankings, but Apple surprised
In the latest newsletter Screen time posted by Lucas Shaw from Bloombergu official list by company Nielsen, which measures streaming viewership based on number of minutes watchedAnd here is the full ranking:
- Squid Game (Netflix) – 15,074 million minutes
- Reacher (Prime Video) – 13,313 million minutes
- The Night Agent (Netflix) – 12,219 million minutes
- Ginny & Georgia (Netflix) – 10,201 million minutes
- Severance (Apple TV+) – 9,275 million minutes
- 1923 (Paramount+) – 8,536 million minutes
- The Pitt (Max) – 8,227 million minutes
- The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu) - 8,165 million minutes
- You (Netflix) – 8,097 million minutes
- Landman (Paramount+) – 7,826 million minutes
However, there's one important detail to note: The White Lotus and The Last of Us aren't included in this list because they originally ran concurrently on HBO. Despite being watched online by the majority of viewers, Nielsen doesn't officially include them in its streaming rankings.
Severance confirmed megahit status
Fifth place for Severance is for Apple TV+ a huge success. And this is mainly because Apple has compared to giants as Netflix and Prime Video still significantly smaller number of subscribers. Achieving such viewership on a smaller platform is much more challenging.
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This is also why no other show since Apple TV+ did not make it into the top 10. Even though titles like The Studio or Your Friends & Neighbors reportedly posted strong numbers, but fell short of the top ten in direct comparison with global competition.
Apple TV+ is thus betting on high-quality and original content that is gradually finding its way to a wider audience. And the success of Severance proves that if a series is really good, it can break through even without a billion-dollar user base.
