Still from the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. Photo / Supplied
Still from the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. Photo / Supplied
Controversial television series 13 Reasons Why is the digital show Kiwis want to watch the most.
Hollywood-based Parrot Analytics has today released its top 10 list that reveals the most sought after digital shows for New Zealand over the last 30 days.
Netflix show 13 Reasons Why topped the list.
The show focuses on 13 cassette tapes a teenage girl recorded before her suicide, each of which relates to an incident that contributed to her decision to kill herself.
The tapes are shared around by her schoolmates, who are told they are each one of the reasons she died.
Mental health professionals are warning against the series' graphic nature, lack of hope and failure to address mental health or to offer information on where to get help.
However the show's fans argue it has opened an important dialogue that's long overdue.
The rest of the top 10 list is far less controversial.
The second most popular show was Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale.
Parrot's industry data scientist Kayla Hegedus said the show was not available in New Zealand yet.
But by measuring what people were watching via file sharing and their engagement of the show via social media, blogging platforms and informational sites, it was clear there was "huge demand" for the show.
"This provides a huge opportunity for local media to bring this show or similar shows to New Zealand via the right platform, at the right time, reaching the right Kiwi audiences who truly love this type of content," said Hegedus.
The full top 10:
• 13 Reasons Why, Netflix • The Handmaid Tale, Hulu • The Grand Tour Amazon Video • Orange Is The New Black, Netflix • The Last Kingdom, Netflix • Marvel's Iron Fist, Netflix • Sense8, Netflix • House of Cards, Netflix • Harlots, Hulu • Trailer Park Boys, Netflix
Hegedus said the new season of Orange is the New Black was due to be released on Netflix on June 9.
However, due to the recent hack of the show ahead of its premiere, Parrot's data showed "a huge spike in demand" for the show in New Zealand, placing it fourth on the list, even though it has not officially been released.
"We also predict that actual demand for the show once it has been released may drop, as fans consume the content ahead of its scheduled premiere," Hegedus said.
"Next is Amazon's The Grand Tour which has clearly captured the interest of our nation with high demand being expressed for it over the last 30 days in New Zealand, even though new episodes stopped being released in February."
Orange Is The New Black. Photograph supplied.
Parrot uses "a blend of data sources" including video-streaming consumption, social media, blog platforms and online piracy and claims to "crunch more than a billion data points every day - spanning 249 countries".
Then, that content-centric data can then be segmented by demographic, geography or genre - among other variables.
Hegedus said that enabled the company to gauge the popularity of the shows "by looking at audience consumption and engagement of the content on various digital avenues around the globe".
Parrot works with for global studios and distributors such as the BBC Worldwide, FOX networks, Lightbox, Italian Mediaset and Brazil's Globo TV.
