As Jenner (2018) states, after a great deal of intensive research and development, the domestic television set is in a number of ways an ineffcient medium of visual broadcasting. Television programming usually revolves around domestic activities; most of the time, it may be a background sound while eating and doing chores. This function is not a substantial progression compared to radio. Television programmes are often planned for long-term development, and advertising revenue is essential to profit. Because of this, the quality of the content of television programmes cannot be compared to films. Third, TV programmes are arranged linearly, and viewers are controlled to necessarily be in front of the TV at a specific time in order to gain ratings.

On the other hand, Netflix tailors the viewing pattern to the viewer so that once they start watching, there are no objective factors to interrupt the viewing. There is no need to change episodes and no commercials. It’s as immersive as a film, you can watch it without being interrupted, and you can watch it from the beginning to the end in one go. You can watch it at any time you want, whenever you want.Binge-watching is good enough content to immerse yourself deeply in the story of an episode. It is possible to watch an entire series over the course of a whole day, isolated from the outside world. Whether it’s a weekend break or a bad day, it’s a great arrangement.

In order to be more ‘cinematic’, Netflix decided to go for a more complex narrative structure, elaborate set content and high-definition picture quality. For example, the Netflix original series Stranger Things has certain spectacle scenes and special effects scenes. The earlier Black mirror, based around the popular sci-fi genre, kept viewers interested and immersed through complex narrative bodies.
Netflix has replaced television to a certain extent and has also attracted a large number of film lovers. Should this still be considered television? I don’t think it will be, at least for a short time, even if Netflix promotes its brand heavily and gains a larger global audience. It has become an influential international video platform multinational.

But television as a media channel has been considered for viewers of all ages and has been a relaxing pastime since earlier years. Who can imagine the elderly or the sick lying in bed watching Netflix instead of TV? Too much-concentrated attention can instead strain one’s nerves and thus make one dizzy.

Bibliography：

Mareike Jenner (2018), ‘Introduction: Netflix and the Renvention of Television’, ‘Introduction: Binge Watching Netflix’, Netflix and the Reinvention of Television, pp. 1-31, 109-118.

Mareike Jenner, “Is this TVIV? On Netflix, TVIII and binge-watching”, New Media and  Society, Feb 2016, 18 (2): 257-273

Lianfei Zeng

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