Squid Game, a nine-part Korean-language drama about a series of life-or-death playground games, has become a much-discussed and much-watched show – one that, according to Netflix co-CEO and Chief Creative Officer Ted Sarandos, is on track to become the platform’s most-viewed original series of all time. Given Netflix’s contentious approach to its viewing numbers, opinions may vary about this specific claim – but data from YouGov BrandIndex UK shows that, less than a month after the show’s release on September 17, the platform has seen some clear benefits.
It won’t be particularly surprising to learn that Buzz scores for Netflix (which is a net measure of whether the public have heard anything positive or negative about a brand) have seen an uptick: increasing from 20.2 to 30.3 points between September 16 and October 8 (+10.1). And this positive buzz has translated into better overall opinions of the platform in a number of ways. Squid Game’s debut has coincided with a dramatic uptick in Recommend scores, which have risen from 42.9 to 52.1 (+9.2)
The programme, released on the same day as Sex Education series 3, may have also boosted Netflix’s Quality scores from 43.3 to 50.9 (+7.6) over the same period: each season of television earned ratings of 91% and 100% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes. Impression for Netflix, a measure of overall positive and negative sentiment towards a brand, improved from 47.7 to 54.3 (+6.6) between September 16 and October 8.
We can partially attribute this strong performance to gradually increasing Word of Mouth: scores across this metric rose from 28.0 to 37.6 in the same timeframe (+9.6). Netflix has invested a great deal in well-known, big-budget IP – courting box office megastars and Oscar-winning directors to keep viewers subscribed to the platform. But if Squid Game proves anything, it’s that the company can still create a Kraken-sized hit from more unexpected places.
This article originally appeared in City A.M.
