"Manifest" Viewing on Netflix Surges after Cancellation to Dominate U.S. Streaming Ratings
by Patrick Hipes
July 15, 2021


Nielsen said Thursday that "Manifest" on Netflix ran away as the most streamed program for the week of June 14-20 — the same week it was canceled by NBC after three seasons. The cult hit sci-fi drama drew almost 2.5 billion viewing minutes for the two seasons currently available on the streamer that week, swamping everything in its way.

Disney+’s animated movie Luca, which bowed streaming-only on June 13, was a distant No. 2 overall with 1.57B viewing minutes in its debut on the chart.




"Manifest" at 2.49 billion minutes ballooned from 1.11B viewing minutes the previous week, an increase likely to be noted by Netflix, which eventually opted not to order a fourth season following the show’s NBC ax.

The missing plane drama had long been conceived by creator Jeff Rake as a six-season series, and fans had been pushing it to the top of Netflix’s rankings since it recently began airing Season 1 and Season 2.

Nielsen said "Manifest‘s" showing the week of June 14-20 was the highest single-title total on the Nielsen SVOD Ratings chart since the December 2020 highs of Netflix’s "Bridgerton" and "Cobra Kai".

https://deadline.com/2021/07/manifest-streaming-ratings-win-cancellation-netflix-nielson-streaming-chart-1234794245/

NBC and Netflix may team to save Manifest (https://deadline.com/2021/07/manifest-season-4-saved-netflix-nbc-renewed-canceled-1234796743/)

As Manifest continues to get big viewership on Netflix, the streamer and NBC are in talks to share the cost of a fourth season. "A month after the missing plane drama was axed by NBC after three seasons and Netflix opted not to pick it up, NBC is in conversations with Manifest studio Warner Bros. TV about a possible renewal," reports Deadline's Nellie Andreeva, according to sources. "In an intriguing twist, I hear Netflix also has resumed talks with Warner Bros. TV about a fourth season on the streamer and they have been picking up momentum. The conversations are happening as Manifest Season 1 and 2 viewership continues to surge on Netflix in the U.S. and the #SaveManifest fan campaign remains strong. Reps for Warner Bros. TV, Netflix and NBC declined comment." Andreeva notes that since canceling Manifest on June 14, NBC canceled Good Girls and scrapped Law & Order: For the Defense. "The two moves freed up funds in NBC’s 2020-21 drama series budget and opened up holes on the schedule, which is believed to have helped reopen renewal talks with Warner Bros. TV on Manifest," says Andreeva. "Meanwhile, I hear Netflix has restarted talks after passing on the show in June as Manifest has been showing great resilience, remaining in the daily top 10 for more than a month after topping the Nielsen streaming ratings in its first week of release on the platform." Andreeva notes, a similar thing happened to sci-fi drama Timeless, another high-concept NBC drama with passionate fan base that started its run in the high-profile Monday 10 p.m. timeslot. NBC canceled Timeless after its first season in 2017 then reversed its decision three days later after fan outcry.

Manifest repeats as the No. 1 show on Nielsen's Streaming Top 10 (https://tvline.com/2021/07/22/manifest-tops-streaming-rankings-week-of-june-21/)

For the second time, the canceled NBC drama topped Nielsen's ranking of streaming shows. The news comes as NBC and Netflix are reportedly interested in teaming on a fourth season renewal that would un-cancel the missing plane drama.

Manifest tops Nielsen's Streaming Top 10 for the third straight week (https://deadline.com/2021/07/manifest-streaming-rankings-tomorrow-war-luca-netflix-amazon-1234802498/)

The canceled missing plane drama remains No. 1 amid talks of NBC and Netflix jointly reviving it for a fourth season.