According to a new study by Ampere Analysis, the release of new seasons of returning series on Netflix increased viewership of older seasons by 86 percent.

The research firm analyzed viewership for a selection of new seasons coming to Netflix in the second half of 2023 and showed that viewership of older seasons increased in the first half. While older seasons saw an upswing, titles without a new season saw a natural viewership decline of 46 percent over the same period.

New releases make up a significant portion of Netflix’s viewership; new shows in 2023 accounted for 26 percent of the TV season’s viewing hours this year. But older seasons help attract new viewers and encourage repeat viewing, reports Ampere. For example, lupineWith the third season being released in October 2023, ratings for seasons one and two rose from 33 million in the first half of the year to 165 million in the second half of the year.

In fact, scripted series benefit the most from a previous season boost. Ampere found that returning series’ ratings doubled on average in the second half of the year. Unscripted series with a new season, on the other hand, saw ratings drop 7 percent. Unscripted series that won’t be released in 2023 saw ratings drop 63 percent. “While new releases may not boost ratings for unscripted series as much as scripted ones, they can slow the natural decline in series ratings over time,” Ampere says.

Related scripted series titles can also benefit, notes Ampere. For example, viewing the A piece Animated series increased by 67 percent with the release of the live-action show. Squid Game recorded an increase of 32 percent in the second half of the year with the release of the reality spin-off Squid Game: The Challenge.

Joe Hall, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis, noted, “Although new releases attract most viewers on Netflix, ongoing series also generate interest in older content among existing and new fans. As streaming business models increasingly focus on ad-supported fare, viewership is critical to attracting advertisers and generating advertising revenue. This makes ongoing series attractive to these companies, as they can help maintain interest in older seasons long after release.”