[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] Less than a month after its release, the Netflix Original series “True Education” has climbed to No. 6 in global viewership, cementing its status as a hit.

On the 17th, Netflix released its “What We Watched” report for the first half of 2026. The report compiles viewership metrics (total viewing time divided by a title’s runtime) for all titles available on Netflix.
According to the report, “True Education” recorded 48.2 million views in the first half of the year, placing it in the global top 10. Despite being released less than a month ago, it rapidly attracted viewers and established itself as one of the standout new releases of the first half of the year.
Netflix revealed that five of the top 10 most-watched series in the first half of this year—half of the list—were all first-season shows. This indicates a clear trend toward actively discovering and consuming new content. The U.S. series “His Story & Her Story” took the top spot for the first half of the year with 104 million views.

The strength of Korean content was also confirmed. According to Netflix, titles such as “Real Education,” “Can This Love Be Translated?” (28.6 million views), “Lady Dua” (25.8 million views), and “Squid Game” (14.4 million views) consistently attracted global viewers. Beyond dramas, content across various genres—including the film “The Great Flood” and variety shows such as “Black & White Chef: The Class War Season 2” and “Solo Hell Season 5”—achieved balanced success, demonstrating the competitiveness of Korean content.
Netflix reported that non-English content accounted for more than one-third of total viewing in the first half of this year, with Korean content making up the largest share. Analysts note that the appeal of K-content is expanding further as a wide range of genres—from romantic comedies to movies, variety shows, and children’s content—are being consumed evenly.
Netflix reported that total viewing hours by members worldwide exceeded 97 billion hours in the first half of this year, setting a new all-time high for a half-year period. The company explained that it is its diverse content catalog—rather than any single hit—that is driving overall viewership.
Meanwhile, Netflix also released its second-quarter earnings report on the same day. Second-quarter revenue reached $12.56 billion (approximately 18.6706 trillion won), a 13.4% increase from the same period last year, coming in close to market expectations. Netflix attributed the improved performance to an increase in subscribers, subscription price hikes, and expanded advertising revenue. However, in after-hours trading following the earnings announcement, its stock price fell by more than 8%. This is believed to be due to concerns over a potential slowdown in future growth.