# The Circle

> Netflix’s social competition offered a $100,000 prize and inspired fan-run games.

- Owner: Netflix; Studio Lambert and Motion Content Group
- Kind: Series
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2020-01-01
- Observed peak date: Week of Jan 15, 2020
- Date basis: Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum. Some dates are known only to the week, month or year.
- Spread Score: 44 (Notable), v1.3
- Mechanics: Press loop, Pairing

## Summary

Netflix released The Circle in weekly batches. Viewers posted reactions on Twitter, and fans later hosted their own games on Discord.

## Timeline

- 2019-12-31 — Netflix (Open web) — A Times Square billboard launched a promotion that paid participants through Venmo.
- 2020-01-01 — Netflix (Open web) — Netflix released the first four episodes of the American season.
- 2020-01-01 — Mel Brown (X) — Mel Brown posted a joke about a contestant on Twitter.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/mcp#api).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/the-circle-netflix-2020

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “The Circle.” Case HIS-01981. Spread Score v1.3: 44/100. Updated 2026-10-28. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01981