Bluey Tops 2025 Streaming Charts Over Reacher, Friends

According to Nielsen's latest streaming rankings, audiences overwhelmingly prefer licensed content over original shows. The mid-year Top 20 charts reveal this surprising viewer preference.

The family favorite Bluey dominated the overall rankings with an astonishing 25.1 billion viewing minutes during January-June. Even the 20th-ranked show, Comedy Central's controversial South Park, achieved remarkable numbers with 10.5 billion minutes viewed.

Only three original series cracked the overall Top 20: Netflix's Squid Game and The Night Agent, along with Prime Video's Reacher. Squid Game particularly stood out as the sole original production in the top 10, maintaining strong viewership since its 2021 debut with over 15 billion minutes watched.

Remarkably, these statistics don't include Squid Game's Season 2 launch window nor account for Season 3's late-June premiere - factors that would substantially increase its viewership numbers.

The originals-only chart presents equally fascinating data. Stranger Things' appearance at #17 with 5 billion minutes proves noteworthy - especially considering the show hasn't released new episodes for three years. This indicates significant rewatch activity ahead of its final season premiere later this year.

While streaming trends continue evolving, one truth remains constant: viewers reliably return to their favorite content.