Our Media Glass House researchers want to take this opportunity to note that a few days ago the final episode of the US-made serial Succession was screened in Australia.
They also wish to take this opportunity to say, thank fuck for that. Not because they didn't enjoy it over its four seasons starting 2018, but because of the avalanche of free media it has generated as numerous mainstream media writers penned lengthy and glowing "news" stories about the series and its final episode.
As the show drew to its announced finale almost every news outlet in the country was running stories about Succession, its storylines, its characters and the cast members playing them, likely plots, and possible outcomes of the central story spun over its entire run – who would succeed the fictional Logan Roy as head of the family-controlled diversified global media conglomerate?
A quick internet search by our MGH teams showed thousands of end-of-Succession news stories around the world in recent weeks including hundreds in Australian media outlets.
Succession was blatantly based on the Murdoch family yet it has been its News Crap Australia-owned streaming service Binge that has been screening the HBO-made program.
Yet various stories have previously claimed that the family didn't approve of the series or the comparison and took a dim view of anyone associated with it or, even worse, feeding Succession writers possibly story ideas.
Oddly enough because of the massive free plugs the series has received across most media outlets, it is 92-year-old Rupert and his children – who have been going through a decades-long real-life succession battle – who will reap the financial rewards of its alleged popularity.
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On the issue of Succession's popularity, our MGH researchers have asked if the blanket coverage given to the series and its final episode actually reflected its popularity outside the coterie of mainstream media writers seemingly obsessed with it.
Even in its home market of the USA Succession achieved a cult or perhaps boutique following.
There its final episode – hyped just as much in the US as it was Down Under – reportedly drew an audience of 2.9 million as it went to air. The average audience for each episode of the fourth and final series was reported to be 8.7 million after taking account of those who watched online after episodes were screened live.
Even The New York Times noted that Succession "remains somewhat of a niche series" especially when its viewership figures were compared with some of HBO's other recent hits. "The second season of The White Lotus, which concluded in December, averaged 15.5 million viewers per episode …… the second season of Euphoria, which premiered in early 2022, averaged 19.5 million viewers. And mega-hits like House of the Dragon and The Last of Us averaged roughly 30 million viewers per episode, according to the network," the newspaper told its readers.
But back to the 2.9 million US finale viewership figure, our MGH researchers have worked out that it is about 0.8% of the USA's total population of around 332 million.
So if the same proportion watch the final episode in Australia – a nation with just under 26 million people – that would mean 208,000 Binge viewers.
Just for comparison, our researchers point out that a recent edition of the Mediaweek industry newsletter carried a story based on figures from ratings firm OzTAM for a Wednesday in early May showing Network Seven's breakfast program Sunrise had an audience of 226,000 and 479,000 viewers tuned in to watch Seven's soapie Home and Away.
Now our MGH researchers freely admit their figure of 208,000 viewers for the finale of Succession is just a back-of-the envelope calculation, and a pretty unscientific (bodgie if you will) one to boot.
But, they say, if it is anywhere near the real viewership figure what does it say about the plethora of stories published about Succession? Are those who penned them, and those who commissioned them, and those who approved their publication really in touch with their audiences or the wider community?
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Our MGH researchers also note that they would not need to resort to doubtful calculations of their own if the Murdoch empire released actual viewership figures.
They have searched the many "news" stories that have been published about the end of Succession but can't find any.
The only reference to audience size was a story on Tuesday in the Australian Financial Review. (below)
But while it repeated claims of a big viewership by a Binge spokesperson, it presented only percentage rises. For example, apparently "Monday night's finale was up 166% on the final episode of season three", according to the Binge representative.
"Overall, season four was up 150% on season three, and we know this will grow as more viewers catch up on demand," they said.
But, as our MGH teams say, what use are percentage increases if we are not told the raw figures?
The AFR story said: "Binge declined to give viewership data."
The AFR even had to resort to work by research firm Kantar for estimates of total Binge subscribers – an estimated 1.44 million at the end of March.
But how many of them watched the last gasp of Succession we still do not know.
What we do know is that the Murdochs must be very happy at all the free publicity their stream service was given by rival media outlets, even if it all was massively out of proportion to the still-secret actual audience.
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