In its first full week its fourth season was available, “The Crown” became the first program to have more than 3 billion minutes watched in a week since the superhero series “The Umbrella Academy” in August, according to figures released by Nielsen Thursday.
Viewers watched 3.358 billion minutes of the 40 episodes of the Netflix series about the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II between Nov. 16- 22.
The 10-episode fourth season, released Nov. 15, accounted for two-thirds of “The Crown’s” viewership, but its first season was the second-most watched for the week, illustrating how a new season release attracts viewers who previously not seen a series.
Nearly two-thirds of the viewership of “The Crown” is among viewers age 55 and older.
“The Queen’s Gambit” was second with 1.092 billion minutes watched. The seven-episode Netflix miniseries starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a female chess prodigy had finished first each of the previous three weeks.
The 2005-13 NBC comedy “The Office” was third after four consecutive second-place finishes with 1.067 billion minutes watched of its 192 episodes.
“The Mandalorian” was fourth after three consecutive third-place finishes with 939 million minutes watched of its 12 episodes, including the fourth episode of its second season, which became available Nov. 20.
The Disney+ “Star Wars” series was the only non-Netflix programming in the top 10 for the third consecutive week.
The only program in the top 10 not in the previous week’s was the animated children’s comedy “The Boss Baby: Back in Business,” ninth for the week with 509 million minutes watched of its 49 episodes, including the 12- episode fourth season, released Nov. 17.
Nearly two-thirds of its viewership was among viewers ages 2-11.
The top 10 consisted of four original streaming programs, five programs that originally aired on North American broadcast networks and the British import, “The Great British Baking Show.”
The top 10 programs were `The Crown; “The Queen’s Gambit”; “The Office”; “The Mandalorian”; “Schitt’s Creek”; “`Grey’s Anatomy”; “The Great British Baking Show”; “Criminal Minds”; “The Boss Baby: Back in Business” and “NCIS.”
