Squid Game Is Netflix’s Biggest Series Ever, as 142 Million Viewers Tune In

Squid Game handsomely beats Bridgerton and sets a high bar.

By Akhil Arora | Updated: 20 October 2021 10:23 IST

Squid Game Is Netflix’s Biggest Series Ever, as 142 Million Viewers Tune In

Photo Credit: Youngkyu Park/Netflix

Lee Jung-jae in Squid Game

Highlights

Squid Game released September 17 on Netflix worldwide
Holds top rank on Netflix’s daily Top 10 in 94 countries
Squid Game yet to be renewed for a second season

Squid Game — the global hit thriller series from South Korean filmmaker Hwang Dong-hyuk — is now Netflix's biggest original series of all time, the streaming service has announced. More than 142 million Netflix households watched Squid Game in the first 28 days after its release on September 17. With that, Squid Game has beaten Regency-era London romantic drama series Bridgerton's record of 82 million viewers back in January — and in process, become the first Netflix series to surpass the 100-million mark in the first four weeks. Netflix counts watching two minutes of any episode as a view.

Netflix has frequently come under criticism for its very-relaxed methodology, especially with its original series that can run into several hours. The nine-episode Squid Game season 1 has a total runtime of 8 hours and 12 minutes. This is why Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos recently gave us a better peek behind its viewership numbers. It revealed that most Netflix subscribers were watching the likes of Bridgerton, Money Heist, Stranger Things, and The Witcher right till the end — in some cases, there was even a bit of repeat viewing.

We don't have that kind of data for Squid Game yet. The only data point we have outside of the 142 million Netflix members is that the South Korean series hit number one on Netflix's daily “Top 10” lists in 94 countries after its debut. Bridgerton had done so in 83 markets. This is no doubt helped by the fact that Squid Game is offered with subtitles and dubs in more than 30 languages on Netflix, helping it expand its reach beyond the markets it might usually get exposure in. Squid Game isn't the first though, just the biggest.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Before Squid Game, the Omar Sy-led French mystery thriller Lupin was Netflix's biggest non-English-language original hit, garnering 76 million viewers in the first 28 days after release back in January. The hit Spanish thriller series Money Heist accounts for two slots — for Money Heist seasons 3 and 4 — on Netflix's top 10 most popular series by watch time. Money Heist season 5 delivered the series' best run, with over 69 million Netflix households tuning in the first four weeks after premiere. It will be interesting to see where Squid Game lands in terms of viewing hours.

Squid Game has yet to be renewed for season 2, but that seems all but inevitable at this point.

Squid Game Craze: Netflix Sued by South Korea ISP Over Traffic Surge

Editor's note: On October 13, Netflix announced Squid Game had been viewed by 111 million members. On October 20, in its shareholder letter [PDF], Netflix revealed the number was even higher at 142 million.

It's a John Cena double-header this week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, as we discuss The Suicide Squad, and later, Fast & Furious 9 (from 28:03). Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.