Disney+ has revealed that each episode of Doctor Who Series 14 was among the top 5 global shows on the streaming platform.
While UK audiences can be comparatively measured, meaning we can learn how many millions watched a show, figures for international audiences aren’t typically released. And they’ve not been here either, but we do at least know that Doctor Who has been doing well on Disney+ outside the UK. Disney notes:
“Doctor Who remains one of the most watched programmes on iPlayer and was a top 5 series on Disney+ globally every week it aired, as well as being the BBC’s top drama for under 35’s this year, making it one of the biggest programmes for the demographic across all streamers and broadcasters.”
And this somewhat flies in the face of rumours that Doctor Who will be rested for a little time after Series 16 airs and streams from next month. The question does remain, if it’s doing so well, why hasn’t it been picked up again immediately? (We’ll be asking this question in detail in a special feature tomorrow — that is, 9th March 2025.)
Without exact figures being released, we can’t know too much about how well the programme is doing with international audiences. Streaming services tend to keep such information private because people might start to wonder why those ratings aren’t higher considering streaming is thought of as the future; in reality, the overwhelming wealth of content across so many platforms means interest is distilled, as attention is split between various TV shows and movies; without event TV, few people tend to watch the same things at the same time in a traditionally terrestrial manner. If Disney+, or even Netflix, revealed low ratings for a show when it’s just been added to the platform, people would think it’s doing worse than the reality, which is that audiences might be more likely to watch it at a later date. It’s the equivalent of recording a show in the summer when you’re busy, so you can instead watch it in the autumn, when life is might be a bit quieter so you’ve more free time.
Yes, this is a positive sign, but bearing in mind that, in countries where Disney+ is available (except the UK), this is the only way to watch the show legally, so it’s not the greatest of shocks.
The implication of the above quote is that retainment is an issue, i.e. that people watched it when it was on, but perhaps didn’t tune in up to 28 days later (that the UK’s Barb ratings record across multiple platforms). Blogtor Who noted:
“No episode landed outside the Top 5 in its respective weekly chart. (For comparison, in the UK last season’s BBC One airing averaged a chart position of #12.)”
We also don’t know if the figures watching were impressive in general or just that everything else in that timeframe wasn’t rating very highly. How will Doctor Who fare, for instance, when it’s got to compete against Daredevil: Born Again?
Either way, the fact that it’s held such a consistently strong position on Disney+ is great news, and bodes well for the future.
