According to a new analysis from Samba TV, U.S. viewership for the Netflix series The Crown spiked by more than six hundred percent following Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, compared to the following week. The popular Netflix series follows the monarch’s life and achievements during her time on the throne over multiple decades.
Between Friday and Sunday (September 9-11), viewership in the U.K. increased by more than six hundred percent compared to the previous Friday-Sunday period, according to analytics from Whip Media. In France viewing jumped threefold, and globally, viewership increased nearly four times.These findings are based on date pulled from TV Time, a TV and tracking app owned by Whip Media, which has more than 22 million global registered users.
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, ending a historic 70-year reign. Her reign was the longest in English history, and her death has prompted emotional reactions in the UK, US and across the world. In England, a 10-day mourning period has been announced for the nation, before she is finally laid to rest in Windsor Castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel during a state funeral on September 19.
Following the news of the Queen’s death, Netflix confirmed last week that it would pause production on its fifth season of The Crown, which will focus on the royal family’s life from the mid 1990s through the early 2000s. “As a mark of respect, filming on ‘The Crown’ was suspended today,” producers for the series said in a statement to CNN Friday. “Filming will also be suspended on the day of Her Majesty The Queen’s funeral.”
Season 5 of the hit series is set to premiere in November, with Harry Potter star Imelda Staunton taking on the role of the Queen. Other cast members include Jonathan Price, who will portray King Philip, Dominic West as Prince Charles, and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana. The show was originally intended to end after its fifth season, but it was recently announced that it has been renewed for a sixth. The sixth season will focus on the romance between Prince William and Kate Middleton, but will likely omit more recent and controversial events.
The Crown is available to stream on Netflix, and Season 5 will premiere sometime in November 2022.