Netflix has released its mid-year viewing status report (Engagement Report) for this year.
In the first half of 2025, Netflix recorded a total viewing time of approximately 95 billion hours. Popular Netflix original works continue to attract viewers even years after their release. According to the viewing status report, nearly half of the viewing time for original content comes from works released in 2023 or earlier. In fact, popular Netflix original content such as ‘Orange Is the New Black’, ‘Ozark’, and ‘Money Heist’ each recorded over 100 million viewing hours in the first half of 2025 alone.
Korean culture, K-POP popularity surges “Cultural barriers are lowering”
In the first half of this year, various genres of Korean content, including series and animation, stood out. ‘Squid Game’ achieved the remarkable feat of ranking within the top 10 most popular series for both seasons 2 and 3. In just the first half of this year, the entire series recorded a staggering 231 million views. Season 3 of ‘Squid Game’, released on June 27, recorded approximately 72 million views by June 30, the end of the report period.
‘Squid Game’ Season 3 topped the Netflix TOP 10 in all 93 countries that track the rankings immediately after its release. This makes it the first work to achieve the number one spot in every country during its first week of release, and ‘Squid Game’ continues to break records.
Set against the backdrop of Jeju Island, ‘Poksak Sogassuda’, which unfolds the adventurous life of Aesoon and Gwan-sik through the four seasons, recorded about 35 million views in the first half of the year, gaining popularity among global viewers. Webtoon adaptations such as ‘Severe Trauma Center’ (34 million), ‘Weak Hero Class 1’ (22 million), and ‘Weak Hero Class 2’ (20 million) also received much love in the first half of the year.
The animated film ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’, set in Korea and themed around K-pop, created a global sensation, recording approximately 37 million views in less than a month since its release. The music of the fictional K-pop bands featured in the content topped major global charts such as Spotify, Apple Music, and iTunes shortly after its release, shaking up the OST scene. The soundtrack is currently ranked as the highest among film music on the 2025 Billboard 200.
Among the Korean content included in this report, Netflix owns less than 15% of the IP, the same as last year. This shows that Netflix is expanding the global reach of diverse Korean content through flexible methods such as originals, pre-buys, and licensing.
Strength of non-English content “Proving Netflix's localization value”
Similar to last year, non-English content accounted for more than one-third of total viewing hours in this mid-year viewing status report. Among the 25 most-watched series in the first half of the year, a remarkable 10 were non-English works. This aligns with Netflix's belief that “good stories can come from anywhere” and its investment philosophy of showcasing the best content through collaboration with local creators in various countries.
European series such as the UK’s ‘The Boy’s Time’ (145 million), Denmark’s ‘The Secrets We Kept’ (34 million), and Sweden’s ‘The Oresund Murders’ (33 million) also gained popularity in the first half of the year.
Continuing genre diversity to provide a rich viewing experience
In the first half of the year, Netflix focused on expanding the viewing experience by offering a diverse range of content from series and films to animation.
Starting in January this year, WWE began broadcasting in some regions including North America and Europe, providing fans with a unique experience every week. The entire event, including WWE RAW, recorded 280 million viewing hours in the first half of the year.
In the animation genre, ‘Sakamoto Days Season 1’ (24 million), ‘Naruto’ (combined season 45 million), and classic Studio Ghibli films ‘Spirited Away’ and ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ each recorded 6 million views.
In addition to ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters’, kids & family content also thrived. ‘Miss Rachel Season 1’ (53 million), the French animation ‘Asterix and Obelix: The Village Battle’ (16 million) gained popularity, and ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse’ recorded a combined total of 10.8 million views.
In the comedy genre, ‘The Outsider Runs Today’ (41 million) and ‘Our Four Seasons’ (39 million) received global love.
The global viewing status report, which shows the viewing status of members, reveals the viewing hours and counts of all original and licensed works that have been viewed for at least 50,000 hours per half-year (total viewing hours ÷ total runtime, rounded to the nearest 100,000). Netflix publishes weekly TOP 10 lists and, starting in December 2023, will release a comprehensive global viewing status report twice a year.
