Milestone for SNL: Streaming Success Following 50th Anniversary Special
The recent 50th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live (SNL) significantly impacted streaming viewership, marking its inaugural entry into the Nielsen streaming charts. Following its high-profile first night, the show experienced a remarkable surge in popularity, leading to an impressive 863 million minutes viewed on Peacock for the week of February 17-23, 2025.
Ranking seventh overall and securing third place among library series, SNL boasts a vast archive of 1,109 episodes, built over five decades. Interestingly, Nielsen reported that a substantial 68% of the viewership during this period was for episodes from the current season, including the much-anticipated anniversary special.
Top Performers in Streaming for the Week
In a competitive streaming environment just behind SNL, Netflix’s Zero Day and Prime Video’s Reacher topped the charts with stunning viewing figures. Zero Day, which premiered on February 20, had an impressive 1.84 billion minutes viewed, while Reacher closely followed with 1.81 billion. Other notable mentions include Love Is Blind (1.42 billion), Bluey (1.05 billion), and Family Guy (1.01 billion), each surpassing a billion minutes viewed.
Additionally, long-time favorite Yellowjackets marked its return to the charts with 742 million minutes viewed, coinciding with the release of its season three premiere. Similarly, The White Lotus on Max amassed 735 million minutes. Furthermore, continuing to generate interest are Severance from Apple TV+ (649 million) and Paradise on Hulu (502 million), both of which maintained positions within the top ten original series.
Nielsen’s Rating Metrics
It’s important to note that Nielsen’s streaming ratings reflect viewership exclusively on television sets, excluding data from smartphones and computers. Moreover, the statistics pertain solely to U.S. audiences, with international viewership not being accounted for. Below is a detailed breakdown of the top streaming titles for the specified week.
Overall Streaming Rankings
- 1. Zero Day (Netflix) – 1.84 billion minutes viewed
- 2. Reacher (Prime Video) – 1.81 billion minutes viewed
- 3. Love Is Blind (Netflix) – 1.42 billion minutes viewed
- 4. Bluey (Disney+) – 1.05 billion minutes viewed
- 5. Family Guy (Hulu) – 1.01 billion minutes viewed
- 6. Cobra Kai (Netflix) – 893 million minutes viewed
- 7. Saturday Night Live (Peacock) – 863 million minutes viewed
- 8. American Murder: Gabby Petito (Netflix) – 801 million minutes viewed
- 9. Resident Alien (Netflix/Peacock) – 765 million minutes viewed
- 10. Yellowjackets (Netflix/Paramount+) – 742 million minutes viewed
Original Series Rankings
- 1. Zero Day – 1.84 billion minutes viewed
- 2. Reacher – 1.81 billion minutes viewed
- 3. Love Is Blind – 1.42 billion minutes viewed
- 4. Cobra Kai – 893 million minutes viewed
- 5. American Murder: Gabby Petito – 801 million minutes viewed
- 6. Sweet Magnolias (Netflix) – 725 million minutes viewed
- 7. Severance (Apple TV+) – 649 million minutes viewed
- 8. The Night Agent (Netflix) – 619 million minutes viewed
- 9. Paradise (Hulu) – 502 million minutes viewed
- 10. Gabby’s Dollhouse (Netflix) – 496 million minutes viewed
Acquired Series Rankings
- 1. Bluey – 1.05 billion minutes viewed
- 2. Family Guy – 1.01 billion minutes viewed
- 3. Saturday Night Live – 863 million minutes viewed
- 4. Resident Alien – 765 million minutes viewed
- 5. Yellowjackets – 742 million minutes viewed
- 6. The White Lotus (Max) – 735 million minutes viewed
- 7. NCIS (Hulu/Netflix/Paramount+) – 718 million minutes viewed
- 8. Bob’s Burgers (Hulu) – 706 million minutes viewed
- 9. The Big Bang Theory (Max) – 702 million minutes viewed
- 10. Grey’s Anatomy (Hulu/Netflix) – 701 million minutes viewed
Movies Rankings
- 1. To Catch a Killer (2023) (Hulu/Netflix) – 694 million minutes viewed
- 2. Trial by Fire (2018) (Netflix) – 463 million minutes viewed
- 3. The Gorge (Apple TV+) – 362 million minutes viewed
- 4. La Dolce Villa (Netflix) – 310 million minutes viewed
- 5. Don’t Let Go (Netflix) – 244 million minutes viewed
- 6. Aftermath (Netflix) – 241 million minutes viewed
- 7. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Prime Video) – 210 million minutes viewed
- 8. Heart of Champions (Netflix) – 199 million minutes viewed
- 9. Nosferatu (2024) (Peacock) – 192 million minutes viewed
- 10. Moana (Disney) – 189 million minutes viewed
For more detailed insights and data regarding streaming trends, check out the original article here.