STARmeter is IMDb's weekly popularity ranking for people, shown on IMDbPro and based mainly on how many people view your IMDb page. IMDb says it measures public interest, not talent. In the casting director interviews we searched, none said they check it; they use IMDb for photos, credits and contacts. Here's how it works and how to raise it honestly.
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STARmeter is IMDb's popularity ranking for people. As of November 2026, IMDb's help pages describe STARmeter, MOVIEmeter and COMPANYmeter as rankings of every person, title and company in IMDb, available on IMDbPro, meant to show industry professionals where public interest lies.
IMDb is clear about what it isn't: a high ranking doesn't necessarily mean someone is "good". It means a lot of people are aware of or interested in them right now.
IMDb says the rankings use proprietary algorithms, and that the primary measure is who and what people are looking at on IMDb. For STARmeter, that means how often, and by how many people, a person's page or credits are visited. Each visit is recorded as a pageview, and the sum of those pageviews is the foundation of the ranking.
IMDb says the rankings are updated weekly, typically by the end of Monday. It doesn't publish the formula, so treat any site claiming to explain it in detail with caution.
It's a ranking, so the closer you are to number 1, the more attention your page is getting compared with everyone else on IMDb. A STARmeter in the hundreds of thousands simply means fewer people looked at your page that week than looked at the people ranked above you.
It says nothing about your talent, your training or whether you'll book the next job.
On IMDbPro. As of November 2026, IMDb's plan comparison shows that the free Basic subscription lets you view your own STARmeter ranking, while the paid Premium subscription lets you explore STARmeter, MOVIEmeter, COMPANYmeter and other industry rankings. For costs and what else Premium includes, see is IMDbPro worth it?
You'll also see the meters used inside IMDbPro's tools. Kym Jackson points out that company search can be filtered by COMPANYmeter, and that an agency's client list shows its clients in STARmeter order.
Because it's built on views, week by week. Anything that sends people to your page can move it: a release, a trailer, press, a festival screening, a nomination, or a social post with your IMDb link. When the attention fades, the number drifts back.
Kym calls it a fluctuating number, but a fair way to tell how much someone has been in the public eye recently. Don't read meaning into one week's swing.
Not in the way people fear. In the interviews we searched, no casting director mentioned checking a performer's STARmeter. What they described was using IMDb for information: Victoria Burrows said her office pulls headshots and resumes from IMDb and makes its own copies rather than asking for hard copies, and John Frank Levey's office prints from online profiles before sessions.
One branding expert in our library put it bluntly: nobody has ever cast something based on someone's IMDb page; if they're considering you, they've seen your casting profile and your work too. Visibility can matter more for lead roles that need a name, because films are financed on recognisable cast, but that's about your career, not a weekly rank.
As a quick filter more than a verdict. Kym's test for vetting an agent or manager: look at their top 10 clients on IMDbPro, listed by STARmeter, and check whether those clients have recent network TV or recognisable film credits. If they do, the rep is probably getting people work.
Followers and buzz are a different matter. Chris Roe told us an actor's social media following has no bearing on whether he would represent them; he cares how you conduct yourself.
Give people reasons to visit your page, and make it worth the visit:
Don't try. IMDb says it designed the ranking so the actions of one user, or a small group, have limited impact, that it monitors STARmeter for fraudulent traffic, and that it keeps improving the algorithm against attempts to stuff the ballot. A service selling "STARmeter boosts" is selling something IMDb says it is working to cancel out.
Refreshing your own page, or asking friends to, won't make a casting director call either.
No. Check it if you're curious, and enjoy a bump after a release, but spend your energy on the things that get you seen in the right rooms: strong materials, good self tapes, relationships and work you're proud of. The ranking follows the work, not the other way round.
STARmeter is IMDb's popularity ranking for people, available on IMDbPro. IMDb says it is based mainly on how many people view a person's page and credits.
Weekly. IMDb says the rankings are updated typically by the end of Monday.
Yes, in the sense that number 1 is the most-viewed. IMDb says a high ranking reflects public awareness or interest, not whether someone is good.
Yes. As of November 2026, IMDb says the free IMDbPro Basic plan lets you view your own STARmeter ranking; exploring other rankings needs Premium.
None of the casting directors in the interviews we searched mentioned it. They described using IMDb for headshots, credits and contact details.
Do work that gets seen, keep your page complete with photos, reel and bio, and link to it. IMDb says it limits the impact of any one user and monitors for fraudulent traffic.
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