The show Severance may have achieved Apple’s strongest viewership for a drama series, as revealed by the latest Nielsen streaming charts for the week starting January 13. This marks the first time Nielsen has released data coinciding with the premiere of Severance‘s second season.
Although it debuted on the Friday of the reporting week, Severance secured the fourth spot on the top 10 original series chart with nearly 600 million minutes of viewing time.
Considering that Apple TV+ has a significantly smaller audience than some competitors, many of its shows fail to make it onto the Nielsen charts. However, Severance seems to be a notable exception, having drawn a considerable streaming audience and received accolades from critics.
The last time any Apple show reached such a high position on the Nielsen chart was during the run of Ted Lasso season three. If the current trend continues, Severance could potentially climb even higher next week when Nielsen releases data for January 20 – January 26, which will encompass a full week of viewing for the second season’s premiere.
For the week of January 13, two Apple shows appeared on the Nielsen chart. In addition to Severance, Silo made the top ten as well, landing at the tenth position with 400 million minutes viewed. This could be the first instance of Apple having two different titles in the top ten originals chart simultaneously.
It’s important to highlight that the Nielsen streaming charts reflect viewership exclusively in the United States, and streaming services—including Apple—frequently challenge the accuracy of these figures. However, given that Apple does not disclose its own viewing statistics, Nielsen data remains our best reference point.
Severance is currently airing its second season, with new episodes released every Friday until March 21. Although a third season is rumored to be in development, it has not yet received official confirmation from Apple.
