'Stranger Things 5' breaks Nielsen record with 8.46B minutes

Entertainment Dec 23, 2025

Stranger Things is going out with a bang—Season 5 just set a new streaming record, pulling in an incredible 8.46 billion viewing minutes in its first week.
That's even more than the show's own previous high, showing fans are still all in for Hawkins's final chapter.

Who's tuning in and how?

Most of the binge came from new episodes (57%), and nearly six out of 10 viewers were between 18 and 49 years old—so it's definitely striking a chord with young adults.
Plus, people spent another 1.6 billion minutes rewatching earlier seasons before diving into the new ones.

What does this mean for Netflix?

Thanks to Stranger Things, Netflix racked up significant viewing minutes in November—a big boost that helped keep Netflix on top.