Friends breaks its own streaming record, with subscribers revisiting the iconic NBC comedy following the death of lead actor Matthew Perry.
Friends breaks its own streaming record, as subscribers revisit the sitcom after the death of Matthew Perry. As one of the most successful shows of all time, the success of Friends can be divided in two ways: the first happened as the NBC comedy was airing, from 1994 to 2004, growing into an international success. The second is related to its resurgence on streaming, becoming a source of comfort for older viewers and a new favorite among generations discovering it for the first time.
Per TVLine, following the death of Perry on October 28, Friends reached an all-time high according to Nielsen’s latest streaming charts. The show landed at #4 in the overall rankings for the week of October 30, coming in just behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Grey’s Anatomy and Suits. The sitcom garnered 860 viewing minutes, which is the largest since Friends moved to Max from Netflix. The previous record was 737 million minutes viewed, achieved during the week of December 5, 2022.
Fans Mourn The Loss Of Matthew Perry
The strong performance of Friends on streaming has long been a standout, leading Netflix to pay $100 million just to retain the licensing rights to it for a single year. It is consistently among the most-viewed acquired titles, referring to shows that weren’t originally made for the streaming service where they’re being shown. But the latest bump, which comes from Max subscribers under the age of 35, means that they weren’t born when the series first premiered, demonstrating the resonance of Friends.
It also shows how much Perry meant to audiences through his portrayal of the sweetly sarcastic Chandler Bing. People left flowers at the New York apartment where Friends filmed, posting art and remembrances online. On social media, there was a lot of shock and sadness over Perry’s death. But at the same time, many fans took the space to celebrate Perry’s talent and the warmth that he exuded as Chandler.
Perry has said he wants to be reminded for more than just Friends, explaining how he tried to use his experiences and struggles with addiction as a way to help others through similar hardships. He’s leaving a legacy both on-screen and off, with viewers attempting to find comfort in his past performances and his most indelible portrayal.
