We don’t know if “Stranger Things” is Netflix’s biggest hit. But “Stranger Things” feels like Netflix’s biggest hit, and Netflix is certainly treating it that way: It has been promoting the show nonstop in the 15-month run-up to the new season of “Stranger Things 2,” which is now live. (Wait, don’t go check yet!)
‘Stranger Things’ could be the most important show on Netflix
Otherworldly battles + ’80s nostalgia + cool kids = gold for Netflix.
Screengrab from Netflix’s “Stranger Things 2” trailer
Again, we won’t ever know if Netflix’s big marketing run-up actually worked, because the company famously doesn’t release numbers about its home-grown programming or really anything else on the streaming service. It’s pretty much a black hole for metrics.
But. I do know that I’ll be bingeing the show this weekend. If you’re going to be joining us in creating a permanent butt-print on the couch, here are some things to consider:
- The New York Times has an excellent breakdown of Season 1 so you can remind yourself of all the details from the first series.
- It’s no accident that “Stranger Things” has what Vox.com calls a “pitch-perfect homage to the 1980s. And that includes its great open credit sequence.” Watch our sister site’s breakdown of how it was created to fully appreciate it.
3. Netflix is spending more on content than any other streaming service. This year alone, it will spend $6 billion. That’s $1.5 billion more than Amazon Prime Video and twice as much as HBO and Hulu. On Netflix’s Q3 earnings call recently, CEO Reed Hastings said the company is expected to spend close to $8 billion in 2018.
4. Netflix is on a roll, beating its own and Wall Street’s projections this past quarter. It added 5.3 million streaming subscribers around the world and had told Wall Street that it would add 4.4 million.
5. Producers will finally be able to get some sense of how many people watch their shows — including rival shows. TV measurement firm Nielsen will start providing estimates (for a price). But Netflix isn’t buying it. “The data that Nielsen is reporting is not accurate, not even close, and does not reflect the viewing of these shows on Netflix,” Netflix said in a press statement.
Netflix
6. On a non-business note, take a few minutes and rewatch this genius Saturday Night Live skit about Lucas’s family (which SNL rightly points out is never mentioned or seen. What’s up with that, Duffer brothers?) and the real monsters in our world.
6. Finally, never forget the best character with the least amount of screen time from Season 1: Barb.
Screengrab from Netflix
Sorry, Barb. You deserved better.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
