Cobra Kaiclaimed yet another win for Netflix in the streaming wars after theKarate Kidspin-off outclassed its juggernaut opponents HBO’sHouse of the Dragonand Amazon’sRings of Powerfor at least two weeks straight.
The fifth season ofCobra Kaidropped on Netflix on September 9, after the two fantasy series already had three episodes to their name, easily beating both on the week of its premiere, and it seems that momentum held strong. Prior to this piece of data being out, other metrics had shown overall interest inHouse of the Dragonwas almostdouble that ofRings of Power, and though the two shows are some of the hottest content out right now, they’re no match for Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso.
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According toNielsen, the leading source for viewership ratings, these three were indeed the most-watched shows in the United States from September 12 through 18.Cobra Kairacked up 1,918 million minutes of viewing time, whileRings of Powerhas 988 million andHouse of the Dragonearned 960 million in total. The numbers come with a small caveat, that being the fact thatCobra Kai’s performance accounts for all five seasons available on Netflix and plenty of binge-viewing potential, whereasHouse of the Dragonfigures don’t take into consideration those who watch the series through regular HBO cable TV, only streaming.
The rest of the overall top 10 is rounded off by several Netflix regulars such asIn the Dark,The Crown,Cocomelon,Sins of Our Mother, andNCIS. Meanwhile,House of the Dragon’ssuccess seems to have renewed interest inGame of Thrones, which took the seventh spot. Surprisingly,Thor: Love and Thunderis the only movie at number 10, withDisney Plus findingShe-Hulkin Nielsen’s number 10spot for original content at 403 million minutes.
As far as other original shows go,The Handmaid’s Tale(the only Hulu exclusive),Devil in Ohio,The Imperfects,Fate The Winx Saga, andStranger Thingsalso pop up, in that order. Even if these numbers are not hard proof thatCobra Kaiis indeed more popularthan HBO and Amazon’s big-budget productions, it definitely confirms that the karate teen dramedy is one of Netflix’s best-performing properties.
Another interesting fact is thatHouse of the DragonandRings of Powerseem to share a lot of fans, as roughly one-third of the people who watch one also tune in for the other, so expect plenty of Halloween costumes based on the two.The Rings of Powerfinale just came out, meaning in all likelihoodHouse of the Dragonand its Targaryen conflicts will get to enjoy at least two weeks sitting alone at the top.
Cobra Kaiseasons 1-5 are now available on Netflix.
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