[DigitalToday reporter Seulgi Son] Netflix on Thursday released its "What We Watched" report on viewing trends for the first half of 2026.

The report includes views for all titles available on Netflix. Views are calculated by dividing total viewing time by a title's running time. Netflix has been disclosing viewing trends since it began publishing a weekly Top 10 list in 2021.

Five of the top 10 series by views in the first half were first-season titles. The U.S. series "His Story & Her Story" ranked as the most-watched title in the period. Despite being a new release, it posted cumulative views of 104 million. The South Korean series "True Education" also entered the global Top 10 within a month of release. It recorded 48.2 million cumulative views in the first half.

"Squid Game" recorded 14.4 million views. New title "Can This Love Be Interpreted?" recorded 28.6 million views, and "Lady Doa" recorded 25.8 million.

Netflix members worldwide watched more than 97 billion hours in the first half of the year. That was the highest level on record for any half-year period. Since Netflix began publishing the semiannual report, no single title has accounted for more than 1 percent of total viewing time.

Non-English titles accounted for more than one-third of all viewing in the first half. Among them, Korean content had the highest share within non-English content. Series, films and unscripted shows including "True Education", "The Great Flood", "Culinary Class Wars: Black and White Chef Season 2" and "Single's Inferno Season 5" were watched across formats. Titles scheduled by broadcasters and channels, as well as films released in theaters, were also included.

The kids category also showed a wide range of genres. In addition to romantic comedies, children's content such as the "Baby Shark" series, the "Bebefinn" series and "Pinkfong Dinosaur Kindergarten" continued to be watched steadily.

The report also included the overseas export status of domestic broadcast titles. They included SBS' "Brave New World", "Manager Kim", "Sold Out Again Today", tvN's "Undercover Miss Hong" and JTBC's "Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness". These titles secured viewers in South Korea through broadcasters and Netflix, and overseas through Netflix distribution.

Collaboration with South Korea's film industry also continued. Netflix films "The Great Flood", "Husbands" and "Pavane" were watched in the action, comedy and romance genres, respectively. "Humint" and "Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight" were additionally released on Netflix after their theatrical runs.

The full "What We Watched" report for the first half of 2026 is available in Netflix's official newsroom. Netflix will change the release cycle to once a year starting next year. The next report will be released in the first quarter of 2027.