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Library/Series/Friends
Grade B25 sourcesHIS-01434

Friends

Series · 1994 · Viral

60Editable slideCertificate

Netflix brought Friends to new viewers before a reported $425 million HBO Max rights deal.

Trailer · Friends on YouTube
Official Warner Bros. banner of the six Friends cast members
Warner Bros. Television
The six Friends cast members in a promotional photo
Television Academy
The cast on the Friends set during a studio taping
Television Academy
The cast walking down a street in black outfits, a season 6 promotional photo
TIME
LEGO's Central Perk set with minifigures of the six friends
United Press International
The Greenwich Village building used for the apartment's exterior shots
Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
The Friends Stage plaque at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank
John / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
The cast together on the Central Perk set for Friends: The Reunion, 2021
Next TV

Spread Score

How it works
ReachNo data yetContagionNo data yetBreadth80Velocity0Longevity9360

Numbers

Seed to milestone
16 months
Sep 22 ’94 to Jan 28 ’96
Platforms
7
Started on TV
Origin
Seeded
Entertainment

Mechanics

  • Platform jumpPrimary
  • Identity badge
  • Press loop
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

Friends premiered on NBC and its Rachel haircut spread to salons. Syndication and Netflix kept the series circulating after its finale. Its HBO Max rights transfer was reportedly valued at $425 million before the cast reunion.

Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.

US viewers per episode, seasons 1–31994-09-22: 21,500,0001994-09-29: 20,200,0001994-10-06: 19,500,0001994-10-13: 19,700,0001994-10-20: 18,600,0001994-10-27: 18,200,0001994-11-03: 23,500,0001994-11-10: 21,100,0001994-11-17: 23,100,0001994-12-15: 19,900,0001995-01-05: 26,600,0001995-01-12: 24,000,0001995-01-19: 25,800,0001995-02-09: 23,800,0001995-02-16: 24,800,0001995-03-02: 30,400,0001995-03-09: 29,400,0001995-04-06: 30,000,0001995-04-27: 28,400,0001995-05-04: 29,900,0001995-05-11: 28,700,0001995-05-18: 31,300,0001995-09-21: 32,100,0001995-09-28: 29,800,0001995-10-05: 30,200,0001995-10-12: 28,100,0001995-10-19: 28,300,0001995-11-02: 30,200,0001995-11-09: 30,500,0001995-11-16: 32,900,0001995-12-14: 27,800,0001996-01-04: 32,200,0001996-01-18: 31,600,0001996-01-28: 52,900,0001996-02-01: 33,600,0001996-02-08: 32,900,0001996-02-15: 31,100,0001996-02-22: 30,200,0001996-03-21: 30,100,0001996-03-28: 31,200,0001996-04-04: 27,400,0001996-04-25: 24,700,0001996-05-02: 25,500,0001996-05-09: 26,100,0001996-05-16: 29,000,0001996-09-19: 26,760,0001996-09-26: 26,730,0001996-10-03: 25,230,0001996-10-10: 26,100,0001996-10-17: 23,250,0001996-10-31: 23,270,0001996-11-07: 27,360,0001996-11-14: 28,690,0001996-11-21: 29,280,0001996-12-12: 25,100,0001997-01-09: 29,800,0001997-01-16: 29,610,0001997-01-30: 28,030,0001997-02-06: 28,910,0001997-02-13: 27,250,0001997-02-20: 28,260,0001997-03-06: 25,840,0001997-03-13: 28,070,0001997-03-27: 23,650,0001997-04-10: 24,360,0001997-04-17: 23,220,0001997-04-24: 22,630,0001997-05-01: 24,170,0001997-05-08: 23,070,0001997-05-15: 23,390,000Sep ’93Feb ’95NovMay ’99Sep ’03Jun ’08Apr ’13Nov ’15Jan ’18OctSep ’19Jun ’21MilestoneTVRetailOpen webYouTubeXPressInstagram
TVRetailOpen webYouTubeXPressInstagram

13 more events on this chart

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US viewers per episode, seasons 1–3: 70 dated figures from Wikipedia, each checked against the source. Measured at the time, not estimated.

Timeline (16)

  1. September 1994

    NBC / Warner Bros. Television seed · Sep 22 ’94

    NBC premiered Friends in its Thursday comedy lineup.[1][2][3]

    The six Friends cast members in a promotional photo
    Open the first post ↗

  2. April 1995

    Channel 4 platform jump · Apr 28 ’95

    Channel 4 introduced Friends to UK viewers.[4]

    The cast together on the Central Perk set for Friends: The Reunion, 2021

  3. August 1995

    Salon clients platform jump · By end of Aug 1995

    Women flew to Los Angeles to get Rachel's haircut from Chris McMillan.[5]

  1. milestone · Jan 28 ’96

  2. afterlife · May 6 ’04

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Why it worked

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Origin
Seeded
Sector
Entertainment
Region
US
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade B

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