Bluey Is the Most-Watched Show on Streaming So Far in 2025, Ahead of Reacher, Friends, and Even Squid Game

It appears to be exactly what audiences desire. Nielsen has released its Top 20 streaming charts for the first half of the year, revealing that viewers are tuning in more frequently to acquired content than to original programming.

The cherished children's series Bluey led the overall rankings with an impressive 25.1 billion minutes viewed between January and June. Even the final entry on the list—Comedy Central’s South Park, which is currently embroiled in controversy—delivered remarkable results at number 20, accumulating 10.5 billion watched minutes.

Only three original titles secured spots on the overall chart: Netflix's hits Squid Game and The Night Agent, along with Prime Video's Reacher. Notably, Squid Game—which has remained viral since its September 2021 premiere and continues to attract a loyal audience heading into its final season—was the sole original series to crack the top 10 of the overall list, logging over 15 billion minutes of viewing time.

Interestingly, these figures reflect only the aftermath of Season 2's release in January and exclude the initial days the show was available, which will undoubtedly drive the numbers higher. Additionally, this count does not yet include the premiere of Season 3 in late June.

The rankings for streaming originals also revealed some notable trends, with Stranger Things standing out prominently. The Netflix favorite ranked at No. 17 with just over 5 billion minutes viewed, a figure that might initially seem modest. However, given that no new episodes have been released in three years, it is evident that fans are rewatching the series ahead of its final season premiere later this year.

The current landscape of streaming is fascinating, but one thing remains certain: viewers consistently gravitate toward what they enjoy.