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Shōgun, the Game of Thrones and Succession-like historical epic, is off to a flyer following its record-breaking premiere on Disney’s two streaming platforms.
The series, which debuted on FX (via Hulu) in the US and Disney Plus internationally, chalked up an impressive nine million views in the first six days following its premiere. That figure was, according to a Disney press release, enough to make it the most-watched scripted General Entertainment series globally of all time on Disney’s streaming services.
Stateside, Shōgun is also now the most-streamed TV premiere for an FX-developed show. The Feudal Japan-set series has climbed above The Bear season 2, which previously held top spot. Overseas, Shōgun moved past The Kardashians season 1 to take the number one spot in the General Entertainment series category, too.
‘SHOGUN’ has become FX’s most-viewed premiere on Hulu with 9M views, passing ‘THE BEAR’. pic.twitter.com/b1vtqMHfg5March 6, 2024
For those unfamiliar with Shōgun, it’s based on James Clavell’s best-selling novel of the same name, which is a fictionalized retelling of real-world events. Set in the 16th century, it follows three primary characters – Hiroyuki Sanada’s Lord Toranaga, Cosmo Jarvis’ John Blackthorne, and Anna Sawai’s Toda Mariko – as they navigate the increasingly tense geopolitical situation during the late Sengoku period. As their enemies close in around them, the trio are forced to unite in a bit to prevent all-out war erupting across Japan.
In my Shōgun review, I called it a “sublime historical epic whose ambitious scope and scale has paid off” and “the kind of character-driven prestige TV” that Disney Plus and Hulu are lacking in their repertoires. I, for one, then, am unsurprised by its success on two of the world’s best streaming services.
An impressive start, but Marvel and Star Wars still reign supreme
With its politically-charged plot, complex cast of characters, and bloodstained and fiery action, coupled with its impressive debut viewing figures, it’s clear that Shōgun deserves a spot on our best Disney Plus shows and best Hulu shows guides.
That said, there’s an argument to be made that its success isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For starters, its nine million views haul is a cumulative one, meaning the figure is representative of its performance on Hulu and Disney Plus combined. Without a full breakdown of how many people tuned in to watch it on each platform, I can’t confirm if there was even audience split between them, or if one service dominated over the other.
Then there’s the murkiness surrounding what an actual ‘view’ is. Like Netflix, Disney defines a view as the “total stream time divided by runtime”. Essentially, that means Disney totted up how many millions of hours were watched over Shōgun‘s first six days post-release before dividing that total by 70 minutes. However, despite debuting on both platforms with a two-episode premiere, Disney has only taken Shōgun episode 1’s 70-minute runtime into account. In doing so, it’s further doctoring the show’s viewership data.
Even with its manipulated viewership data, Shōgun can’t hold a candle to the most-watched TV episodes on a Disney-owned streamer. In December 2023, Percy Jackson and the Olympians pulled in 13.3 million views in its first six days on Disney Plus and Hulu – a record for the opening entry of a Disney-owned original program.
However, even the hit fantasy show, whose premiere was one of the five biggest across all streaming services last year, failed to match the might of Disney’s two biggest franchises – Marvel and Star Wars – on Disney Plus. In August 2023, Disney confirmed that Star Wars: Ahsoka‘s first episode attracted over 14 million people on its primary streamer. Loki season 2 was a big hit for Disney Plus, too, with the Marvel Phase 5 series luring in 10.9 million viewers. Yes, that figure is smaller than Percy Jackson‘s but, given the latter was released simultaneously on two platforms, and the fact that we don’t have a complete breakdown of where people streamed it, the performance on Loki‘s second season on Disney Plus is far more noteworthy on this specific service.
So yes, Shōgun is off to a terrific start audience-wise, and it’s likely to see a gradual increase in views as the weeks go on as more people recommend it to their friends and family. Compared to other Disney-owned shows and properties, however, it’s got a ways to go before it can considered a true streaming powerhouse.
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