While most reality TV shows these days are pretty far from reality, there’s no denying that it’s an incredibly popular genre. And since the first few months of this year, viewership has actually exploded.
While most of America was quarantined earlier this year, it seems they turned to reality TV shows. But if you’re looking to get away from reality with some reality TV, what’s the best service to turn to? Let’s dive into some numbers.
Hulu is the most popular streaming service for reality shows, leading the way with 265 titles. Netflix is right behind with 180, and Tubi and Prime Video fill the next spots with about 130 each. From there, the numbers drop dramatically, with IMDB finding spot number five with 37 titles. HBO Max with 28, Disney+ with 21, and Vudu with 14 closed out the list.
But it wasn’t just traditional reality TV that saw a bump, as the documentary series genre is also currently on an upswing.
What’s the top service for documentary series content? Netflix is the leader with 383, but it’s only a slim lead over Prime Video with 355. Hulu has 222 documentary series and Tubi has 176, but just like reality shows, there’s a big dropoff here. HBO Max carries 56 titles, Vudu has 37, and IMDB TV and Disney+ each have 33.
So what’s the most popular reality and docuseries programming during quarantine (based on total streams by ReelGood users from March 15 to May 31, 2020)? You can probably guess the top title: Tiger King on Netflix, which follows a big cat breeder and the bizarre characters around him.
McMillion$ on HBO, documenting the decade-long fraud in the McDonald’s Monopoly contest, sits in second place, followed by Too Hot to Handle, also on Netflix, where sexy singles square off in a $100,000 celibacy challenge. Dirty Money on Netflix was fourth most popular over the past few months, a series that tells stories of corporate corruption, fraud and “creative accounting.” Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children on Prime Video, which documents a series of children and young adults that went missing from Atlanta in the 70s and 80s, rounds out fifth place.
The rest of the top 10 saw: The Innocence Files, Survivor, The Pharmacist, The Masked Singer, and Love is Blind.
If you’re looking for a dose of reality, it looks like the best service is the one that already stands on top of the streaming heap: Netflix.
This data is based on a catalog report from June 1, 2020 from 2 million ReelGood customers
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