‘Suits’ Breaks Nielsen Streaming Records After Debuting In 2011

Suits, which debuted on the USA Network in 2011, has reached its peak viewership four years after it ended, thanks to the series’ recent addition to Netflix in June.

The Netflix streaming service listed the show as one of the top 10 TV shows in the world when it first debuted. According to data from Nielsen last week, Suits received 2.3 billion minutes of viewing across Netflix and Peacock during the reporting period (June 17–June 26).

According to Deadline, Nielsen has revealed another significant achievement for the show: Suits saw a rise in viewership for the week of June 26 through July 2, accumulating 3.1 billion minutes watched. That represents a 36% increase in viewers from the previous week, which is an absurd accomplishment for a program that has been on since 2007 and had to compete with Angry Birds for our attention. The program reportedly broke Nielsen’s record for an acquired series in one measurement week.

Some claim that co-star Meghan Markle, who has become the focus of the media ever since she began dating Prince Harry, is to blame for the success of the show. She left Suits shortly after, presumably because call times are so early and you can sleep in at Buckingham Palace.

Markle and Harry have become well-known Netflix regulars since moving back to the country, earning a $103 million contract to create content. Their first endeavor was the independently produced documentary Harry & Meghan, which received 2.4 million views on the day of its debut.

According to reports, Netflix is reluctant to give Markle and Prince Harry more than half of their compensation without the couple producing additional content in addition to the documentary. Fortunately, Harry has produced a new series called Heart of Invictus, which will debut in August.

It’s clear that Markle’s older work is succeeding, but given the actors’ complaints during the SAG-AFTRA strike, we doubt she is receiving residuals. As a result, expect to see Markle work on new material soon.