"If Netflix produced and distributed a popular show in a novel way, I would very much like to know details like exactly how popular this show has been." You kn

"If Netflix produced and distributed a popular show in a novel way, I would very much like to know details like exactly how popular this show has been." You know who else wants to know? Netflix's competitors. If their show was wildly popular, that's something you don't want to reveal lest others try to replicate. "Media consumers may like to know this information as well." I'm not convinced that media consumers change their habits based on the number of viewers in america. Number of viewers in social circle, sure, but in all of america? To put that in perspective, Fox News is watched more than MSNBC but the MSNBC viewers won't jump to Fox based on that fact. Ultimately, the reason why numbers were released historically was for advertising purposes. Shows and networks could demand more money for advertisements if they had more views, and companies like nielsen emerged to give a third-party view (akin to credit ratings agencies). That's not relevant in the internet age, where you can precisely count how many ads are shown and where they are shown (and possibly a bit more about the people watching).