Apple TV+ has a winner on its hands with Ted Lasso. New data shows that the second season of the Apple TV+ Original starring Jason Sudeikis debuted with 39 times the demand of the average show in the U.S., which is more than 20 times the demand that Season one generated at the time of its premiere. As of last Saturday, July 24, Ted Lasso is also the second most in-demand original digital show, just behind Marvel’s series Loki on Disney+, according to data reported by Axios.
On a larger scale, season two of Ted Lasso debuted with 41 times the demand of average show worldwide, which is more than 80 times the demand generated by Season one.
Having in-demand content is key to driving subscriber growth, and up until now, Apple TV+ originals have just been missing that “it” factor. Ted Lasso is the streaming service’s first big hit since launching in 2019, and a much-needed life raft if Apple TV+ wants to stay afloat in a sea of competitors. Last year, Apple TV+ had 3.5% global demand share of all streaming services at the time of the Ted Lasso series premiere. Now, the streamer has increased its demand share by a whopping 54% since debuting Ted Lasso, proving that the comedy’s popularity has driven subscriber growth.
It’s also interesting to note the subject matter of other popular shows compared to that of Ted Lasso. The comedy is one of the only in-demand shows that doesn’t center around a superhero or action theme. Disney+’s Loki, and The Mandalorian, Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, The Boys on Amazon Prime, all share more aggressive premises, but it turns out the wholesome charm of Ted Lasso may be just what the doctor ordered.
“In an era of TV dominated by anti-heroes, post-apocalyptic wastelands and misbehaving leads, Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso is proving that positivity and optimism can pay off with massive audience demand,” said Wade Payson-Denney, Press Insights Analyst at Parrot.