Netflix deal with BARB is about ratings, not 'Stranger Things'

Netflix is pulling back the curtain on it ratings performance in the UK.

On Wednesday, Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (aka BARB) announced that Netflix has signed up for its service, which measures ratings for major UK television channels like the BBC, Channel 4, and ITV.

The announcement signals a shift in the way the streaming platform, which has been famously ad-free, plans to operate. Over the past few years, Netflix has been steadily losing customers. This year alone it lost one million subscribers. Despite big hits like Stranger Things and Tiger King, Netflix has struggled to fend off competition from other streaming platforms in the game like Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max, and Hulu.

But unlike Disney and Amazon whose content is bolstered by advertising money, Netflix's singular revenue stream is subscriptions. Until now, anyway. It's been reported that Netflix will roll out a lower-cost ad-supported tier in November. That's likely why BARB has been invited to the viewing party. Advertisers use ratings data "to support the planning and buying of advertising campaigns, and to assess the brand and sales outcomes of these campaigns," BARB's website explains.

Prior to this deal, Netflix had been reporting its own numbers. But for streaming platforms to get that sweet, sweet advertising money, self-reporting isn't going to cut it.

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Streaming wars are increasingly cutthroat as tech companies scramble for a piece of the viewing pie. And they're shelling out big bucks to get advertisers on board. When Amazon bought streaming rights to Thursday Night Football for $1 billion per each year of the deal (that's billion with a "B"), it partnered with ratings agency Nielsen for the same legitimacy that's been required of broadcast and cable channels for decades.

So far, November's shaping up to be a big month for Netflix: an ad-supported tier, BARB ratings, and the fifth season of The Crown. I guess we'll get to see what impact dear, departed Lizzie will have on its viewership.