HBO Max Titles in the Top Five
Nielsen's "Streaming Landscape 2026: Trends from the First Half of the Year" report, published August 4, 2026, places two HBO Max series inside the overall top five. The Pitt finished third with 21.12 billion viewing minutes, while The Big Bang Theory took fifth with 20.40 billion minutes. Grey’s Anatomy, split between Hulu and Netflix, was fourth at 20.41 billion minutes. Netflix’s Stranger Things led with 23.26 billion minutes and Disney+’s Bluey was second at 22.81 billion minutes. The five titles together account for the programs that cleared the 20-billion-minute mark in the half-year window of December 29, 2025 through June 28, 2026.
The Pitt as HBO Max's Flagship Original
The Pitt ranked first among HBO Max titles and second among streaming originals overall, behind only Stranger Things. Warner Bros. Discovery's medical drama grew sharply in its second season, which Nielsen attributed to the sophomore lift; the company had reported its own viewership increase in April. The series spent 21 consecutive weeks on Nielsen's weekly top 10. Nielsen also flagged additional original-series standouts tied to second seasons, including Landman on Paramount+ at 12.40 billion minutes and Prime Video's Fallout at 7.98 billion minutes.
Library Catalog Strength on HBO Max
The Big Bang Theory's fifth-place finish reflects continued library demand rather than new releases. Grey’s Anatomy, The Big Bang Theory, and Bluey were the only three titles to appear on the top 10 chart every week of the half-year window. Friends and Young Sheldon, both available on HBO Max in some windows, also registered in the extended top 20 at 10.56 billion and 10.91 billion minutes respectively, underscoring the platform's catalog depth beyond originals.
Originals Gain Ground in the Overall Mix
Nielsen noted that streaming originals occupied three of the overall top 10 slots in the first half of 2026, up from one in the equivalent 2025 period. Five streaming titles cleared 20 billion minutes in the first six months of 2026, compared with two in the first half of 2025. Bridgerton, at 17.15 billion minutes, was the only other streaming original in the top 10 besides Stranger Things and The Pitt. Love Island USA, which premiered in early June, drew 7.62 billion minutes, with nearly 90 percent of that total accrued in the four weeks after its season eight debut.
Movies and the Next Reporting Window
Separately on the film side, Zootopia 2 led all movies on Disney+ with 6.54 billion minutes and KPop Demon Hunters added 5.59 billion minutes, while The Rip topped the general-audience chart at 4.43 billion minutes. Nielsen's next streaming update will be the second-half 2026 report, which is expected later in the year and will include the first full window of post-finale Stranger Weeks viewership alongside any summer originals from HBO Max and its competitors.
Share this article
