'Reacher' tops streaming chart as Nielsen speeds up ratings release

Nielsen has shortened the release time for its weekly streaming ratings, giving the industry a more current view of what audiences are watching across major streaming platforms.

The ratings previously carried a 28-day delay, but Nielsen has reduced that gap to 11 days. The latest figures cover viewing on television sets in the US from August 31 through September 6, 2026.

Prime Video’s Reacher led the overall streaming rankings during the week, recording 1.25 billion viewing minutes. The series also reached more than 1 billion minutes for the fourth consecutive week.

The Big Bang Theory followed with 1.07 billion viewing minutes, while Netflix’s Beauty in Black ranked third with 1.06 billion minutes. HBO’s Lanterns made its debut on Nielsen’s weekly chart with 500 million viewing minutes.

Nielsen has also begun providing its clients with daily streaming data, although those figures will not be publicly released as a standard feature. Networks, studios and streaming services can choose to share selected daily figures.

For the week of August 17-23, Reacher topped the chart with 1.52 billion viewing minutes. Netflix’s Outer Banks then claimed the top position for August 24-30 after the premiere of its final season, reaching 1.49 billion minutes.

Nielsen said the faster release of streaming ratings is intended to provide clients with more timely audience data as viewing habits continue to change.

The Nielsen streaming ratings measure viewing on television sets only and do not include streaming watched on computers or mobile devices. The figures also represent US audiences.