When They See Us has proven that Black stories do matter to a multicultural, multi-racial, international audience.
Ava DuVernay wrote on Twitter about her experience with her miniseries documenting the Central Park Five case, particularly the life the miniseries is having on Netflix. Within her post, she revealed the impressive stat When They See Us has racked up. According to her post, co-signed by Netflix’s Strong Black Lead, the miniseries has been viewed by over 23 million Netflix accounts worldwide.
“Imagine believing the world doesn’t care about real stories of Black people. It always made me sad. So when Netflix just shared with me that 23M+ accounts worldwide have watched #WhenTheySeeUs, I cried,” she wrote. “Our stories matter and can move across the globe. A new truth for a new day.”
Imagine believing the world doesn’t care about real stories of black people. It always made me sad. So when Netflix just shared with me that 23M+ accounts worldwide have watched #WhenTheySeeUs, I cried. Our stories matter and can move across the globe. A new truth for a new day. pic.twitter.com/4vgCo0aKR9
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) June 25, 2019
The news comes after Netflix announced that the miniseries was the streaming service’s most-watched series in the U.S. every day since its premiere May 31.
The power of When They See Us comes from the tremendous cast and crew, but it also showcases the particular power streaming has as a medium to expose audience members from all walks of life to stories they might not have otherwise seen. Netflix, in particular, has been reveling in a strategy that promotes multicultural stories because, as Hollywood as a whole has realized, multicultural stories are good business. But aside from just making money, streaming also provides creators, particularly marginalized ones, an avenue to get their stories to an audience in a way the current Hollywood industry doesn’t. With the number of accounts that viewed When They See Us, the proof is right there for you to see.
When They See Us is now streaming.
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Photo: Netflix
