Nielsen's first-half 2026 figures show streaming performing strongly overall, with Stranger Things and The Pitt leading the field and kids' programming such as Bluey outpacing even long-running hits. Each major streamer's biggest original was measured by total minutes viewed: Netflix's Stranger Things led with 23.261 billion minutes, followed by HBO Max's The Pitt at 21.118 billion, Paramount+'s Landman at 12.400 billion, and Prime Video's The Boys at 9.597 billion.
Disney+ is conspicuously absent. None of its originals made Nielsen's Top 20 Original Series chart or the weekly Top 10, even though the service has aired Percy Jackson, Daredevil: Born Again, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord and Wonder Man this year. Disney's own Luminate data is only marginally more favorable. Daredevil: Born Again led its originals with 3.6 billion minutes, followed by Percy Jackson at 2.6 billion and The Mandalorian at 2.4 billion.
Viewer counts tell a more modest story. Wonder Man drew 7 million season views, Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 reached 5.8 million, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 managed 5.3 million. These figures are closer to those of The Flash, which averaged 4.6 million viewers on The CW, than to the prestige shows Disney+ aims to compete with.
The streamer has also struggled with awards recognition. Despite its budget, none of its shows won a single award at this year's main Emmy ceremony, raising questions about whether its content strategy is delivering the impact its size suggests.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing