'Conclave' Viewership Shot Up 283 Percent Following Pope Francis’ Death

In the Roman Catholic Church, it was called the “Francis effect,” a feeling that the arrival of the more inclusive Pope Francis in 2013 would invigorate the faith and get people back in the pews. On Monday, Francis’ passing at the age of 88 led to an effect of a different kind: a surge in viewership for Conclave, director Edward Berger’s Oscar-winning film about what happens in the Vatican when church leaders are locked in a room—or, well, the Sistine Chapel—to decide who will be the next pope. Streaming viewership for Conclave increased 283 percent after Pope Francis’ death, jumping from 1.8 million minutes watched on April 20 to 6.9 million minutes watched on Monday, according to data from analytics firm Luminate. Netflix’s The Two Popes, meanwhile, saw a 417 percent increase in viewership over that same period, jumping from 290,000 minutes to 1.5 million minutes. In some ways, these numbers are to be expected. Conclave’s arrival last year and eight Oscar nominations (it won for B ... Read full article.