With 111 million views, South Korean nine-part thriller Squid Game is officially Netflix’s biggest original series launch, and even the streaming platform are having trouble getting their heads around it.
“We did not see that coming, in terms of its global popularity,” says co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.
The dystopian drama hit that number in 27 days, leaving previous Netflix success stories in its dust, with UK drama Bridgerton streaming on 82 million accounts in 28 days, and chess-based hit The Queen’s Gambit with 62 million viewers.
Still, Netflix have a habit of massaging their figures for impact. The 28-day debut numbers have included any account that watches an episode for at least two minutes.
Squid Game’s global impact is obvious, though, with the green tracksuits worn in the show set to be a Halloween costume favourite, and Netflix will now spend $500 million on content produced in South Korea this year.
But not all the interest has proven positive. A South Korean internet service provider sued Netflix for costs from increased traffic and maintenance due to the number of viewers.
A South Korean woman was also in talks about compensation from the platform after her phone number was unintentionally featured on the show, resulting in a rash of prank calls and texts.
