“Severance” is an official television hit. Since the series premiered Season 2 on Jan. 17, the Apple TV+ drama has accumulated at least 3.055 billion streaming minutes, according to Nielsen.
This number was calculated by adding together the weekly viewership for the drama during the five weeks the series aired new episodes of Season 2. Since “Severance” only started to appear on Nielsen’s weekly list of the most streamed shows and movies after its return, there is a chance this is an incomplete picture and more people have been watching the show from Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller. But at the moment, the weekly Nielsen numbers are the most accurate figures available.
The most-watched week of “Severance” to date happened from Feb. 10 to 16, which was when Episode 5 premiered. The series secured 681 million streaming minutes during that week. For comparison’s sake, the only other week of “Severance” to clear the 600 million minutes mark happened during the week of Jan. 20, which is when Episode 2 premiered. That week saw 662 million minutes. Reported viewership during the other reported weeks lived in the 500 million minutes range.
The audience measurement company noted that, during the week of Feb. 10, 60% of the watch time for “Severance” went to Season 2, and 40% was for Season 1. That proves viewers are either rewatching the series or discovering the show for the first time.
“Severance” landed at No.5 on Nielsen’s list of the Top 10 Streaming Originals, meaning that during the week of Feb. 10, it was more widely watched than Netflix’s “The Recruit” and “Apple Cider Vinegar,” Hulu’s “Paradise,” Prime Video’s “Invincible” and Netflix’s German thriller “Cassandra.” Since Season 2’s premiere, “Severance” has hovered between the fourth and fifth spots on this particular list.
So far, the mysterious thriller has not ranked on Nielsen’s Top 10 Streaming Overall list, which is where television’s heaviest hitters often live. But considering the fact that it is rare for Apple TV+ to be mentioned on any Nielsen list, the consistent staying power of “Severance” is impressive.
It is unlikely that we will ever fully know how many people are watching the eerie dystopian thriller. Apple TV+ is famously tight-lipped about their streaming numbers, even more so than other streamers. But these Nielsen figures prove a hunch TV lovers likely have right now: “Severance” is having a certified moment.
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