The Netflix documentary series Tiger King generated 34.3 million unique viewers in the U.S. during its first 10 days on the service, from March 20-29, according to Nielsen, making it one of the most popular original shows on the No. 1 streaming platform ever.
The performance even surpassed the first-10-day benchmark set by the second-season premiere of Netflix series Stranger Things, which drew 31.2 million unique viewers, Nielsen said. (It did fall below the most recent season debut of Netflix’s biggest hit—season three of Stranger Things averaged 36.3 million unique viewers last July.)
The Nielsen figures were first reported by Variety.
Related: Netflix’s ‘Tiger King’ Emerges as Ferocious Binge Hit Amid Pandemic Viewing Spike
Focused on the colorful lifestyles and intense rivalries of big-cat breeders, Tiger King has become the most recognizable programming hit amid what has become a high-water mark in terms of streaming video consumption. In short, people are social-distancing, stuck at home, and streaming movies and TV shows is one of the few activities many folks have settled into. Sports stars and celebrities have tweeted their affinity for the seven-part docu-series, and Netflix had it “No. 1 in the U.S. today” for over a week in its recently installed ranking widget.
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Until Nielsen released viewership data, however, there was no numerical context as to how much of an audience Tiger King had.
And yes, Netflix is already planning a Tiger King sequel. It will reportedly focus on the missing husband of animal rights activist Carole Baskin, one of the series’ signature players.
