Image source, Netflix Image caption,

Netflix has released a report showing data for 100 billion hours of streaming

By Suranjana Tewari

BBC News

Netflix has released viewer data on 99% of its catalogue for the first time.

Users watched The Night Agent for 812 million hours, making the political thriller its most viewed show in the first half of this year.

The streaming giant has been criticised for not being transparent about how content performs on its platform.

The criticism was central to this year's Hollywood strikes, which paralysed the film and television industry for several months.

Actors and writers have been demanding higher royalties for shows that performed well on streaming platforms.

On a conference call with the media, co-chief executive Ted Sarandos acknowledged that the lack of transparency about the popularity of its shows had led to distrust in the creator community.

He added that Netflix had kept its viewer data private while it was building the business so it could experiment without giving away crucial information to potential competitors.