‘Orange is the New Black’ Leads Year’s Streaming Originals, ‘Stranger Things’ the Top Streaming Debut of 2016

Netflix was the dominant streaming service among the top 50 shows of the past 19 months, according to research company Symphony Advanced Media‘s data of the first 35 days from each series’ respective release dates. The fourth season of Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” led all original streaming series, averaging slightly over 23 million viewers from June 17 thru July 22 in 2016.

The year’s biggest streaming series debut was the award-winning “Stranger Things” (21.7 million) from Netflix starring Winona Ryder. Runner-up was Netflix’s “Fuller House” (21.5 million), the reboot to the ABC 1987-95 family sitcom. Its second season, released in December, attracted about half of its initial season crowd with 10.1 million but still managed to crack the top 10 for the year.

At No. 8 was the return of 2001-07 dramedy “Gilmore Girls” with its four-episode miniseries “A Year in the Life” (11.6 million). Its audience figures were highly front-loaded — launching on the day after Thanksgiving, it drew 6.6 million viewers over the 3-day weekend, ranking third of the year’s streaming originals based on initial 3-day viewer data, only behind “Fuller House” season 1 (10 million) and “Orange is the New Black” season 4 (8.3 million).

The highest ranked non-Netflix series was Hulu’s “11.22.63” (19th, 5.31 million).

Amazon’s most-sampled original is “The Man in the High Castle” with 3.4 million viewing its inaugural season and 3.0 million for its second. Their span-the-globe series “The Grand Tour”, featuring the former hosts of BBC’s “Top Gear” debuted strong with 1.9 million for its first three days of release of its initial episode.

Here are the Top 50 streaming original series of the past 19 months (July 15, 2015 thru Feb. 12, 2017), based on Symphony’s figures of total viewership (aged 18 years or older) and ranked according to the first 35 days of each series’ launch on their respective service unless otherwise noted. (Source: Symphony Advanced Media)

Symphony’s broadcast network Live+35 viewer data (Jan. 1-Nov. 13, 2016; for viewers only aged 18 or older)

The Big Bang Theory (CBS) 22.462 million

Designated Survivor (ABC) 18.817 million

Bull (CBS) 16.090 million

NCIS (CBS) 15.511 million

This Is Us (NBC) 14.807 million

Modern Family (ABC) 14.373 million

Scorpion (CBS) 14.343 million

Empire (Fox) 14.136 million

America’s Got Talent (NBC) 13.512 million

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) 13.106 million

Criminal Minds (CBS) 13.081 million

The Walking Dead (AMC) 13.046 million

The X-Files (Fox) 12.846 million

Lethal Weapon (Fox) 12.432 million

NCIS: New Orleans (CBS) 12.254 million

The Flash (CW) 12.247 million

The Blacklist (NBC) 12.214 million

Kevin Can Wait (CBS) 12.108 million

Law & Order: SVU (NBC) 12.097 million

Blindspot (NBC) 11.420 million