The original post: /r/usenet by /u/WaffleKnight28 on 2024-12-28 14:29:58.
I took the time to explore various indexers to get a sense of the number of NZBs available, their age, and the categories they belong to. What I initially thought would be a quick task ended up being far more time-consuming than expected.
I reviewed nine different indexers where I hold memberships. The ease of gathering data varied significantly depending on each indexer’s category search functions and API. The indexers I examined include both public and private ones, with at least one not listed among publicly discussed indexers. I intentionally avoided newer indexers formed within the last 2-3 years.
As part of this exercise, I counted over 450 Million nzbs. I only examined the 2000, 3000, 5000, and 6000 categories for these indexers.
I’m not naming any indexers because I want to keep the focus on the data, rather than spark discussions about which indexer offers what. This is purely for informational purposes.
Age of NZBs:
| NZB AGE (release date) | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0-1500 Days | 45% |
| 1501-3000 Days | 26% |
| 3001-4500 Days | 25% |
| 4501-6000 Days | 4% |
This data clearly aligns with reports of the growing feed size. Nearly half of all NZBs are under 1,500 days old (about 4.1 years). Given the rise in file sizes and the posting of nearly 200 million NZBs within this timeframe across the nine indexers I reviewed, the expansion of the feed comes as no surprise.
Category Distribution:
| Category | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 10% |
| 3000 | 18% |
| 5000 | 52% |
| 6000 | 20% |
This data shows that the 5000 category is holding over half of the NZBs. One of the indexers I examined did not have a 6000 category, so if it did, this category could gain more prominence.
Age Distribution by Indexer:
| Days | Indexer A | Indexer B | Indexer C | Indexer D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-1500d | 62% | 34% | 72% | 52% |
| 1501-3000d | 27% | 24% | 19% | 25% |
| 3001-4500d | 9% | 29% | 9% | 21% |
| 4501-6000d | 2% | 13% | 0% | 2% |
Here we have data for five very popular indexers and we can see that only one of these indexers has a somewhat balanced dispersion of NZB age ranges. Meanwhile, one has no NZBs older than 4500 days.
Average Age of NZB:
Based on the data I collected, the average age of an NZB (release date) on these nine indexers is 1103 days. Again, this emphasizes how many NZBs have been posted in the last 3-4 years.