Netflix report reveals cultural impact of The Crown
December 15, 2023
To mark the final season of The Crown, Netflix has released The Crown: Behind the Streams, a report celebrating the cultural, community and economic impact of the multi-award-winning show that has sparked a global conversation — and put quintessentially British landmarks, traditions and even music front and centre of what people around the world are watching.
The report brings together research from TikTok, Google, Skyscanner and English Heritage looking at the show’s impact.
Top findings include:
- CrownTok creations: #TheCrown has generated over 6.1 billion views on TikTok with creators heading to the platform to share, react to and even recreate incredible content and illustrations.
- Searching for The Crown: According to YouGov exactly half (50 per cent) of Gen Z (18-24-year-olds) have been inspired to learn more about 20th century British history after watching the show – with Google revealing huge spikes in searches for Aberfan (up 5,000 per cent after the mining disaster was portrayed in Season 3) and Scotland’s Ardverikie Estate (up 1,380 per cent after it stood in for Balmoral in Season 4).
- Crown Set-Jetting: The Crown has helped boost UK tourism, with global flight searches to filming locations soaring by up to 53 per cent on Skyscanner whenever a new season of the Netflix hit becomes available to stream. Spanish and German people are the top searchers for London and Scotland off the back of the show, with 25 per cent of global travellers say that The Crown has inspired them to want to visit London in 2024.
- Homegrown Talent: Creative careers have been supported by six seasons of the show — from wig maker Alex Rouse — whose team grew to 15 people whilst delivering Thatcher wigs and Prince Phillip top pieces – to Milliner Sean Barrrett who made over 100 hats for the show, including 32 just for the Queen.
- Behind the streams: All told, the show has created a rippled effect that has benefited UK plc. Notably, 1p in every pound was spent on local retail with nearly 3pm going to electronics suppliers. Donations from Netflix have boosted the coffers of The National Trust and English Heritage (which received £600,000) as well as places like Ely Cathedral, York Minster and Greenwich Chapel.
Anne Mensah, Vice President of UK Content at Netflix, commented: “Over six seasons and 10 years of production, The Crown has delighted viewers the world over. It has sparked conversation and debate, created global stars and supported thousands of jobs for a vast array of British and international crew. We are honoured to celebrate the show’s lasting impact with our report: The Crown: Behind the Streams. Our hope is that the show lives on through the careers it has shaped, the communities it contributed to and the conversations it started.”