‘Harry & Meghan’ Scores on Nielsen Streaming Chart

Netflix’s Harry & Meghan had a strong second week on the streaming TV charts, and Wednesday held onto its top overall ranking. Kindred, meanwhile, cracked the top 10 original series for the week of its premiere on Hulu.

Harry & Meghan amassed 1.69 billion minutes of viewing time in the United States for the week of Dec. 12-18, according to Nielsen. That’s up from 1.27 billion minutes, a gain of 34 percent, from its premiere week (Netflix released three episodes each week).

Wednesday ranked No. 1 overall for the fourth straight week, grabbing 2.16 billion minutes of viewing. That was down 35 percent week to week, but the series has racked up 16.81 billion minutes over its first four weeks, the second highest total of any streaming series since Nielsen began tracking them (behind the 19.5 billion for Stranger Things 4 in May and June).

Netflix’s spy thriller The Recruit finished third among original series, debuting with 925 million minutes of viewing time. The FX-produced Kindred, based on Octavia Butler’s novel, had 361 million minutes for its premiere week, becoming the second Hulu show from FX (after The Bear) to make the top 10.

The White Lotus got a big bump the week after its second season finale aired, growing by 20 percent to 902 million minutes on HBO Max — good for third among acquired series. (Streaming numbers don’t include linear viewing on HBO’s cable channels.)

Nielsen’s streaming ratings cover viewing on TV sets only and don’t include minutes watched on computers or mobile devices. The ratings only measure U.S. audiences, not those in other countries. The top streaming titles for Dec. 12-18 are below.

Overall

1. Wednesday (Netflix), 2.16 billion minutes viewed
2. Harry & Meghan (Netflix), 1.69 billion
3. Cocomelon (Netflix), 959 million
4. NCIS (Netflix), 941 million
5. The Recruit (Netflix), 925 million
6. The White Lotus (HBO Max), 902 million
7. Prisoners (2013) (Netflix), 857 million
8. Friends (HBO Max), 723 million
9. Criminal Minds (Hulu/Paramount+), 672 million
9 (tie). Firefly Lane (Netflix), 672 million

Original Series

1. Wednesday, 2.16 billion minutes
2. Harry & Meghan, 1.69 billion
3. The Recruit, 925 million
4. Firefly Lane, 672 million
5. Sonic Prime (Netflix), 675 million
6. Too Hot to Handle (Netflix), 425 million
7. Don’t Pick Up the Phone (Netflix), 400 million
8. The Santa Clauses (Disney+), 392 million
9. The Crown (Netflix), 389 million
10. Kindred (Hulu), 361 million

Acquired Series

1. Cocomelon, 959 million minutes
2. NCIS, 941 million
3. The White Lotus, 902 million
4. Friends, 723 million
5. Criminal Minds, 672 million
6. Yellowstone (Peacock), 611 million
7. Bluey (Disney+), 583 million
8. The Big Bang Theory (HBO Max), 575 million
9. Grey’s Anatomy (Netflix), 565 million
10. Gilmore Girls (Netflix), 470 million