There has been plenty of activity in the past few days at the world’s biggest streaming service.
Netflix just happens to be the biggest streaming service in Australia too with over 6m subscribers for the year ended June 20, 2024.
See also: Telsyte SVOD report: Ad-supported tiers grow, Netflix still #1, Total subscriptions up 4% to 25.3m
The platform has started to roll out pre-publicity for what promises to be another hit series – the Australian-produced Territory.
Its release follows a string of hits right across the year.
The latest blockbuster to top the charts globally and in Australia is Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
The new series from Ryan Murphy has managed to unseat The Perfect Couple from the top of the most-watched charts in Australia. However, the Nicole Kidman series recently topped the Australian charts for two weeks.
Other Netflix hits this year have included Emily in Paris S4, Cobra Kai S6, Bridgeton S3, Eric, Baby Reindeer, Heartbreak High S2, The Gentleman, and of course the multi-award-winning Boy Swallows Universe.
Audiences for the Australian series were impressive. Boy Swallows Universe had a total of 13m global views for the first six months of this year. Heartbreak High S2 logged 10m views. The appearance of the second season also triggered a further 7m views of the first season in the first half of 2024.
Those numbers are strong, but not enough to go close to the most-watched on the platform.
Netflix Top 10 First Half 2024
1. Fool Me Once 108m
2. Bridgerton S3 92m
3. Baby Reindeer 88m
4. The Gentlemen 76m
5. Avatar: The Last Airbender 71m
6. Griselda 69m
7. American Nightmare 55m
8. 3 Body Problem 52m
9. Berlin 49m
10. One Day 39m
(Source: Netflix. Figure is for millions of total global views, Jan-June 2024)
Helping The Perfect Couple to top spot
Part of the Netflix success for its major series in Australia has been the quirky marketing campaigns undertaken at launch for many series.
Earlier this month, Nicole Kidman and her co-star Liev Schreiber were floating on Sydney Harbour. The duo, whose show The Perfect Couple debuted at #1 on Netflix, cruised past iconic Sydney landmarks with a sinister glare.
Kidman and Schrieber play Greer and Tag Winbury in The Perfect Couple, the whodunit limited series. Set in the picturesque seaside town of Nantucket, Greer and Tag are the uber-wealthy and glamorous parents of the groom-to-be, and pose as the ultimate hosts for what promises to be the premiere wedding of the season – until a body turns up on the beach.
During their day on the Harbour, the couple were anchored at Sydney’s answer to Nantucket, Watsons Bay.
A bespoke cocktail dubbed “The Peachy Couple” was created in honour of the series, a delicate peach and bergamot spritz that puts an ominous twist on the classic spring favourite. It was available for purchase at the Watsons Bay Hotel restaurant from 13 to 27 September.
The Perfect Couple amassed over 20.3m views and was a top 10 show in 91 countries around the world including Australia, New Zealand, The US, Canada, France and the UK.
Here comes Netflix’s next Aussie hit, Territory
Netflix is marketing the new series that is set in a billion-dollar industry with a fierce succession war, with a family at odds.
The upcoming series, which debuts on Netflix on October 24, follows the fight for power in the remote Australian outback when the world’s largest cattle station is left without an apparent heir.
Territory stars Anna Torv (Fringe), Sam Corlett (Vikings: Valhalla), and many more in an epic and dangerous battle for land and legacy.
The series was filmed across the Northern Territory and South Australia in locations including the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park and Tipperary Station, a real-life, working cattle station.
Production notes: Territory
Territory is a joint production between Easy Tiger (Ian Collie and Rob Gibson) and Ronde (Ben Davies).
The creators are Timothy Lee (Mystery Road, Bump) and Ben Davies (Bondi Rescue, The First Inventors, Outback Ringer).
Executive producers are Davies, Rob Gibson (The Twelve, Colin from Accounts), and lan Collie (Jack Irish, Scrublands).
See also: Netflix reveals Territory is now the name of its next big Australian original plus cast reveal