Netflix Series ‘Containment’ Sees Spike in Viewership Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

As people spend more and more time indoors amid the coronavirus pandemic, many of them are turning to television as a way to pass the time. A number of shows and movies have seen increased viewership, notably movies like Contagion and Netflix‘s documentary series Pandemic. Another virus-minded program is Containment, which originally aired on the CW.

The drama takes place in Atlanta, Georgia and is based on the 2014 Belgian series Cordon. Containment sees a mysterious epidemic break out in Atlanta, which enforces an urban quarantine. The quarantine is extreme, with one area of the city completely cordoned off and inhabitants locked inside, resulting in tensions among those locked together. The infection began with one person who insisted on leaving the hospital after being seen by a doctor, who also got the mysterious illness. The show tracks doctors as they try to locate infected patients as well as the patients themselves, including those in the lockdown.

Containment was executive produced by The Vampire Diaries producer Julie Plec and premiered in 2016 before the network announced that the show would not be renewed. It received modest ratings, but is now enjoying a surge in popularity due to the coronavirus pandemic. The show has one season and 13 episodes and has become one of the most popular TV shows on Netflix, making its way to the streaming service’s Top 10 list this week. It starred David Gyasi, Christina Moses, Chris Wood, Kristen Gutoskie, Claudia Black, George Young, Hanna Mangan-Lawrence and Trevor St. John.

According to a coronavirus-themed press release from AT&T, traffic on its network for Netflix has hit an all-time high amid millions of people’s self-quarantines. The streaming service has also seen an increase in the stock market, rising by just over 20 percent from $298.84 on March 16 to $360.27 on March 23, Forbes reports. Other streaming service have also seen an increase in demand amid the coronavirus including Amazon Prime and YouTube.

Last week, Netflix announced that it would limit its bandwith usage by 25 percent in Europe and YouTube, Amazon and Apple all made similar statements, though they did not disclose the number they would be adjusting to. Disney+ will also slow down its streaming speed after it launches in Europe this month. Netflix made its decision after CEO Max Hastings received a request from EU Commissioner Thierry Breton to stop streaming high definition, a request Hastings declined, though he did compromise by reducing Netflix’s bandwith usage.

Photo Credit: The CW