Skip to main content
If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Netflix's The Crown isn't as enticing as it used to be according to streamer's viewership numbers

Not even Princess Diana's death can keep people tuning in.

Queen Elizabeth in The Crown
Image credit: Netflix

It seems that The Crown is losing a little bit of its luster if viewership numbers for the most recent season of the Netflix drama are anything to go by. While we’re still waiting for the second half of the season to drop in December, The Crown has seen a substantial drop in viewership despite becoming the top-ranked show on the streaming service in its first week after its debut.

We don’t have perfect comparisons to make between season 5 and season 6 of The Crown because of the way that Netflix reveals its data. We know that during its first three days, Season 6 amassed 36.9 million hours of viewership. These are solid numbers but they don’t quite compare to Season 5’s debut week, which was 107.39 million hours during its first five days. Netflix hasn’t released comparable figures, but Season 5 should have had around 64 million hours of viewership if it wanted to keep pace with its predecessor.

The drop in viewership isn’t entirely unexpected. Season 5 dropped just two months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II which generated huge interest in the British Royal Family, while Season 6 is coming out at a time when people are more fatigued with the Royals than they previously were. Add in the fact that the death of Princess Diana occurred well within most viewers’ memory and there is less room for the dramatization of real events that has made The Crown a reliable hit for Netflix over the years.

The second half of the final season of The Crown will be released on 14 December and will cover events like Prince Charles’ wedding to Camilla and Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee.


Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out our guides to upcoming movies, upcoming TV shows, upcoming comics, and upcoming comic conventions. If you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we have all the upcoming MCU, upcoming Star Wars, upcoming Star Trek, and upcoming DC movies & TV for you. If you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to all the upcoming superhero movies and upcoming superhero TV shows (and new seasons) as well.