Netflix viewers show their love for Aussie kids’ content

The Inbestigators was the most watched Australian children’s series among global Netflix audiences for the first half of 2024, amassing 9.6 million views across both seasons.

The Inbestigators is an Australian mockumentary series from producers Gristmill. It follows a group of grade five students who solve mysteries.

Out of 6,800 titles listed in Netflix’s latest Engagement Report, The Inbestigators Season 1 ranked 362 on the list for views and viewing hours, with 5.1 million views and 24.1 million hours streamed between 1 January and 30 June 2024. Season 2 was viewed 4.5 million times, with 21.7 million hours streamed.

There were 69 Australian shows in the list – 25 of which were children’s titles – and The Inbestigators was the seventh most popular Australian show overall.

Heartbreak High (Fremantle Australia) was the most popular Australian Young Adult series, accumulating 17.1 million views across both seasons. Season 2 received 10 million views (68.1 million viewing hours) in less than three months after premiering on 11 April 2024.

Surviving Summer (Werner Film Productions) was also extremely popular, with Season 1 pulling 4.9 million views and Season 2 viewed 4.7 million times.

Other children’s titles in the list included H2O Just Add Water, Mako Mermaids, The Bureau of Magical Things, The Wiggles, Bananas in Pyjamas and more.

An especially noteworthy feature of the children’s titles is their longevity as new waves of children discover them. The Inbestigators premiered in June 2019 and five years on remains incredibly popular with audiences around the world. On Netflix, its popularity has increased since last year, with Season 1 ranking 125 spots higher than it did between July and December 2023, and hours viewed up by 3.2 million. Season 2 ranked 110 spots higher, also notching another 3.2 million hours viewed.

ACTF CEO Jenny Buckland said: “Quality Australian children’s content is held in high regard internationally and has a long lifecycle both here and overseas, much longer than feature films or adult TV, with a new generation of children discovering them every couple of years. The beauty of a series like The Inbestigators is that it is timeless and its themes are universal, so it can be enjoyed by children right across the world for years to come.”

Other ACTF supported series popular on Netflix between January and June this year include Little Lunch (Gristmill), which received 1.9 million views across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland (the series is not available elsewhere). MaveriX (Brindle Films), which is available worldwide excluding Australia, received 900,000 views. The first season of Hardball (Northern Pictures), only available in Australia, received 200,000 views after premiering on 1 April 2024. Barrumbi Kids (Ambience Entertainment and Tamarind Tree Pictures) also received 200,000 views Australia-wide.