FX boss says Netflix's secrecy around its viewership numbers is 'ridiculous'

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Netflix's lack of transparency when it comes to its show viewership has certainly been under the microscope during the current Television Critics Association press tour.

Earlier this week, NBC reported to journalists that it had potentially engineered a way to closely estimate the amount of viewers for Netflix's original series.

On Saturday at TCA, FX Networks CEO John Landgraf, who has been pushing for Netflix viewing numbers for years, told journalists that Netflix's level of secrecy doesn't make sense to him.

"I think it’s ridiculous that we don’t have usage numbers on Netflix," Landgraf said.

He went on to conclude, "There’s probably some information that a national security apparatus has the right to keep secret. That’s important for our national security. I don’t know that I feel the same way about television usage data."

As for NBC's numbers for Netflix ratings, Landgraf believes they could be more accurate.

"I think those numbers that [NBC's] Alan Wurtzel provided are directional more than anything else," he said. "I mean, I look at the methodology underlying it, and it doesn’t feel rigorous enough to say those numbers."

Getty ImagesDuring the panel, Landgraf revealed that FX wanted the Aziz Ansari comedy "Master of None," but Netflix overwhelmed them with more money and other commitments FX couldn't beat. Yet he challenged the streaming company's bottom line versus that of more traditional TV networks.

"There’s a perception that’s very carefully cultivated by Silicon Valley that essentially they’re going to take over everything, they don’t have to be held to the same standards in terms of earnings because you’re buying the future."

He then added, "So we have to return a profit to our shareholders and our board of directors and we have to grow that profit year in and year out; and nobody pays attention to the profitability of many of our competitors."

Read more live coverage from the Television Critics Association press tour.

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