Hulu has released a look back on our viewing habits over the course of 2020, with data on its most-streamed shows, episodes, genres and more. This year was unique and saw a shift in our viewing habits due to people spending much more time at home, as well as turning to TV for a much-needed break from reality or as a way to relieve stress. The year 2020 also brought us Hulu’s Watch Party feature now available to all subscribers, where viewers can create parties of up to 8 viewers to watch thousands of shows and movies together. It’s a feature that has become much more needed during this strange year when being with friends and family isn’t always an option.
Hulu’s Look Back on 2020 shows that viewers were especially into escaping reality by watching… you guessed it, reality TV. Unscripted content was the No. 1 genre in terms of content hours watched and percentage of overall consumption. Unscripted series viewing time increased +48% YoY, with Keeping up with The Kardashians as one of the most popular choices on Hulu.
Another genre that saw a major uptick this year was Classic TV as quarantine had people feeling some type of way. A recent survey shows 7/10 respondents say quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic has made them more nostalgic than they’ve ever been before, and that holds true with Hulu viewers as well. The subgenre saw a +77% YoY increase in minutes watched lead by oldies like I Love Lucy, M*A*S*H* and The Twilight Zone.
Here is Hulu’s Top Viewed Content in 2020
Most Watched Episode
- Little Fires Everywhere season premiere
Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington star in this series following the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.
Most Watched Movie
- Palm Springs
- A Madea Family Funeral
- Abominable
- The Hustle How to Train Your Dragon
- The Hidden World
- Parasite
Along with being the most-watched movie of the year, Hulu had its best premiere weekend ever with Palm Springs, the romantic comedy snagged from a Sundance Film Festival deal. The movie pulled in more views in the first three days than any other film on the streaming service during the same amount of time.
Most-watched Adult Animation Series (in no particular order)
- Family Guy
- Bob’s Burgers
- American Dad!
- Rick & Morty
- Archer
- South Park
- King Of The Hill
- The Simpsons
- The Cleveland Show
- Futurama
There’s something about watching cartoons that even as adults we will never outgrow.
Top Original Series
- Little Fires Everywhere
- Solar Opposites
- The Handmaid’s Tale
- The Great
- Letterkenny
Hulu gave us some great original content this year, including new seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale, Letterkenny, and more. Bingeing hours on Hulu were up 61% YoY from March to May alone.
Most Streamed Day of the Year
April 26
Hulu viewers watched more hours of TV on Sunday, April 26th than any other single day making it the most-streamed day of the year. What did we spend it watching? SNL at Home featuring Brad Pitt, all 8 episodes of the Hulu Original Little Fires Everywhere, and episode 3 of the ESPN documentary The Last Dance.
With 2020 under our belt, now we can look forward to a whole new year that’s hopefully a bit brighter in terms of the current global situation. One thing we can be sure of is that we can always turn to streaming for a little break from reality.