The Most-Watched TV Shows in the World: July 2026
A Korean thriller out-watched every English-language series on Netflix in July 2026. Here are the real global viewing numbers for the month's biggest shows — hours, views and how long each one held on.
July 2026 belonged to a Korean thriller. Agent Kim Reactivated was watched for 310.6 million hours across the month — more than any English-language series on Netflix, and more than any other title in any language.
Below is the full picture, built from Netflix's own weekly global Top 10 reports. These are measured viewing figures, not estimates or popularity scores.
Most-watched non-English TV shows worldwide, July 2026
| # | Show | Hours viewed | Views | Weeks in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agent Kim Reactivated | 310,600,000 | 40,100,000 | 5 |
| 2 | Teach You a Lesson | 163,100,000 | 15,300,000 | 5 |
| 3 | The Polygamist | 121,600,000 | 12,600,000 | 4 |
| 4 | The East Palace | 108,600,000 | 16,000,000 | 3 |
| 5 | My Daughter's Father | 87,900,000 | 12,000,000 | 2 |
| 6 | Elite Force | 83,800,000 | 17,000,000 | 2 |
| 7 | Human Vapor | 50,500,000 | 7,000,000 | 3 |
| 8 | Spooky in Love | 42,800,000 | 9,500,000 | 3 |
| 9 | The Apartment Job | 36,800,000 | 8,400,000 | 4 |
| 10 | Lock Upp | 34,200,000 | 3,400,000 | 2 |
Most-watched English TV shows worldwide, July 2026
| # | Show | Hours viewed | Views | Weeks in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Will Find You | 266,100,000 | 48,400,000 | 5 |
| 2 | Avatar: The Last Airbender (S1) | 218,200,000 | 29,600,000 | 8 |
| 3 | Little House on the Prairie | 150,700,000 | 22,700,000 | 4 |
| 4 | Worst Neighbor Ever | 87,900,000 | 23,300,000 | 4 |
| 5 | Ransom Canyon (S2) | 79,300,000 | 12,100,000 | 3 |
| 6 | The Hawk | 68,800,000 | 13,300,000 | 3 |
| 7 | The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare | 40,600,000 | 18,200,000 | 1 |
| 8 | Sullivan's Crossing (S4) | 39,700,000 | 5,300,000 | 2 |
| 9 | Salish & Jordan Matter | 36,400,000 | 15,400,000 | 6 |
| 10 | The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On (S4) | 34,700,000 | 4,500,000 | 2 |
Three things the numbers show
1. Korean drama took the top spot outright
Agent Kim Reactivated didn't just lead the non-English chart — its 310.6 million hours beat the biggest English-language show of the month by roughly 44 million hours. Three of the four most-watched non-English titles in July were Korean productions: Agent Kim Reactivated, Teach You a Lesson and The East Palace.
2. A South African series broke into the global top three
The Polygamist, produced in South Africa and performed largely in Zulu, drew 121.6 million hours in four weeks. Non-English viewing is no longer shorthand for Korean and Spanish alone.
3. Staying power beat opening power
Avatar: The Last Airbender spent eight weeks in the Top 10 and never reached number one — yet still finished as July's second most-watched English series. Compare that with The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare, which hit number one in its only week on the chart and finished seventh. Hours accumulate; rankings don't.
Hours or views — which number matters?
Netflix publishes both, and they answer different questions. Hours viewed is total time spent. Views is that figure divided by the title's runtime, which approximates how many complete watches a title received.
The gap tells you something. I Will Find You recorded fewer hours than Agent Kim Reactivated but more views — 48.4 million against 40.1 million — because it is a shorter limited series. A long-running season accumulates hours; a tight one accumulates completions.
How these figures were compiled
All numbers come from Netflix's official global Top 10 data, which the company publishes weekly. We aggregated the five reporting weeks that cover July 2026 — those ending 5, 12, 19 and 26 July and 2 August. Netflix's reporting weeks run Monday to Sunday and never align exactly with calendar months, so the first and last weeks each include a few days outside July.
One limitation worth stating plainly: Netflix is the only major streaming service that publishes actual viewing figures. Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max and Apple TV+ release nothing comparable. A show that dominated another platform in July would not appear here — not because it wasn't watched, but because nobody published the number.
You can track what's popular across platforms on MovlyHub's TV section, or compare which service actually carries what in your country with our streaming platform comparison.
Related title
Agent Kim ReactivatedFAQ
What was the most-watched TV show in the world in July 2026?
Agent Kim Reactivated, a Korean limited series, with 310.6 million hours viewed across the five Netflix reporting weeks covering July 2026. It out-watched the biggest English-language series of the month, I Will Find You, by about 44 million hours.
What was the most-watched English-language show in July 2026?
I Will Find You, with 266.1 million hours and 48.4 million views. It spent all five July reporting weeks in the global Top 10 and reached number one.
Do these numbers cover all streaming services?
No. They cover Netflix only. Netflix is the only major streamer that publishes actual global viewing hours; Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max and Apple TV+ do not release comparable data. Titles that led on other platforms are not represented.
What is the difference between hours viewed and views?
Hours viewed is the total time subscribers spent watching a title. Views is that number divided by the title's total runtime, which approximates the number of complete watches. Longer titles accumulate more hours; shorter ones tend to show more views.
Which show spent the longest in the Top 10 in July 2026?
Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 1, with eight consecutive weeks on the global English TV chart. It finished July as the second most-watched English-language series despite never reaching number one.