Streaming giant Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) is set to release the highly anticipated second season of "Squid Game" on Dec. 26, adding to an exciting month with its first live NFL games on Christmas Day.
A Benzinga reader poll shows the second season might face more of an uphill battle for viewers compared to the first season in 2021.
What Happened: Released in September 2021, "Squid Game" shattered viewership records for Netflix with 1.65 billion hours watched in the first four weeks of availability.
The series became a massive hit and pop culture phenomenon and fans have eagerly been awaiting a second season.
Netflix will premiere all seven episodes of the second season on Dec. 26, beginning at 3 a.m. ET. Benzinga recently polled readers to see how eager people are to watch the new season.
"Will you be watching ‘Squid Game' season 2?" Benzinga asked.
The results were:
- No, I don't plan to watch: 70%
- Yes, I'll binge-watch the entire season when it's out: 21%
- Yes, I'll watch each episode as soon as I can: 9%
The poll found that Benzinga readers are less excited about the second season compared to the interest generated by the first season.
The day-after-Christmas release could be a double-edged sword for Netflix. While the timing benefits from people being off work, it also coincides with family gatherings that might limit viewership.
Netflix will also be competing with MrBeast's "Beast Games," a record-breaking game show on Amazon.com's (NASDAQ:AMZN) Prime Video. “Beast Games” released its first two episodes on Dec. 19 with a third episode coming on Dec. 26. The show features elements similar to the contests featured in “Squid Game.”
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What's Next: The second season of "Squid Game" will bring back several cast members from the first season. The new season has already been nominated for a Golden Globe and could become a favorite on the awards circuit, given more hype around the show this time.
Returning for the second season is the winner of the game in the first season, Seong Gi-hun (aka Player 456), portrayed on screen by Lee Jung-jae. Director and writer Hwang Dong-Hyuk also returns for the second season.
The second season features new characters and revolves around Gi-hun, who returns to the game three years after the competition to search for the people behind it and shut it down for good, as reported by Deadline.
This time, characters competing for the prize include a former cryptocurrency influencer who loses a large amount of money for his subscribers and himself. The crypto influencer becomes a fugitive before joining the Squid Game competition, according to the report.
Another one of the 400-plus contestants in the games is a woman who made bad investments following the advice of the same cryptocurrency influencer taking part in the games.
Following the second season, a third and final season of the hit show will be released in 2025. Director Hwang said the second and third seasons were written at the same time and both were produced simultaneously. The third season is currently in the post-production process, the director said.
The first season of "Squid Game" has been watched by a total of 330 million viewers and a total of 2.8 billion hours have been streamed since the release, as reported by Variety. The overall metrics and the first four weeks’ totals for the second season will be used to compare the success of the newest season.
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The study was conducted by Benzinga from Dec. 18 through Dec. 19, 2024, and included the responses of a diverse population of adults 18 or older. Opting into the survey was completely voluntary, with no incentives offered to potential respondents. The study reflects results from 145 adults.
Photo by DANIEL CONSTANTE on Shutterstock
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