Exclusive: Ted Lasso's 2nd season is a big hit for Apple TV+

Season two of Apple's hit comedy "Ted Lasso" debuted as one of the most in-demand TV shows in the U.S. and globally over the weekend, according to data from Parrot Analytics provided exclusively to Axios.

Why it matters: The comedy is Apple's first major hit since introducing Apple TV+ in 2019. Unlike many of the popular series taking off on other streaming services, it isn't a super hero show.

The big picture: Parrot's data shows that Ted Lasso has been a huge driver of Apple TV+’s "demand share" growth in the U.S. and worldwide over the last year.

• That matters because "demand" for original TV content is often often a leading indicator of subscriber growth.
• Demand is a proprietary metric used by Parrot to measure an audience's appetite for TV content.

By the numbers: When Apple initially debuted the first season of Ted Lasso last year, Apple TV+ had a 3.5% "demand share" globally amongst all streaming services. Since debuting Ted Lasso, it's increased its demand share by 54%.

Driving the news: As of Saturday, July 24, the series was also the second-most in-demand digital original in the U.S., just behind Disney+’s new Marvel series "Loki."

• "Ted Lasso" was also America’s eighth-most in-demand overall show, per Parrot, with 40 times more audience demand than the average show in the U.S.
• The Jason Sudeikis-led show was the 18th-most in-demand show in the world, and the seventh-most in-demand digital original series in the world.

Be smart: Audience demand for the Ted Lasso's season two debut has grown exponentially over season one.

• Season two debuted with 39 times the demand of the average show in the U.S. — more than 20 times the demand that season one commanded at its debut.

• Globally, season two debuted with 41 times demand of average show worldwide, more than 80 times the demand of season one commanded globally at its debut.

Apple says the premier episode of Ted Lasso season two brought in its biggest audience of any original film or TV show on Apple TV Plus, per Variety.

Bottom line: "In an era of TV dominated by anti-heroes, post-apocalyptic wastelands and misbehaving leads, Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso is proving that positivity and optimism can pay off with massive audience demand," writes Wade Payson-Denney, Press Insights Analyst at Parrot.

What's next: Parrot expects Apple's streaming demand market share to continue to rise with the release of new weekly episodes of the show's second season.

• Apple reports earnings Tuesday after market close.