Jenner states that one of Netflix’s defining differences from broadcast Television is “abandon[ing] the idea of the linear television schedule: Netflix puts all episodes of one series online at once, resembling more models of book.” (2018, p4). Lotz also stresses the importance of Netflix’s non-linear content consumption, highlighting that Netflix did not start this habit; “the DVD market that emerged in the early 200s hinted at this experience” (2017, p1) but arguably popularised.

However, as opposed to Jenner and Lotz, I will argue that Streaming is moving towards a linear model, merging binge-watching with the traditional programming television model. This move towards linear is visible on every streaming platform. Disney+ with the weekly release of every big budget show on their platform, like Loki, The Mandalorian and WandaVision. Despite an initial content dump strategy, Amazon Prime Video has also changed to a weekly release model, with all their content like Invincible, The Boys, and Tomorrow War. Apple TV follows this same model for all their content, Ted Lasso, The Morning Show and The Supermodels.

This shift is because “binging allows viewers to burn through content in mere hours whereas weekly releases infuse new material for an extended period of time, which incentivizes the customer to stick with the streaming service.” (Herman, 2021, p1). Weekly releases stop viewers from churning platforms and keep shows in the conversation longer. A survey by Real Research Media (2023) found that 60% of viewers do not choose binge-watching as their preferred mode of watching a TV series.

While not exclusively using weekly releases, like the other streaming services mentioned above, Netflix has shifted its release strategy model. With shows like You, Stranger Things and Ozark, they have opted to release one season of the show in parts. However, other shows like The Circle, Business Proposal and My Happy Marriage air episodes weekly. Regarding this change, Massoto said, “The time has come to do something about subscribers losing interest and adapt to a change they set in motion.” (2022)

Data back this shift to weekly releases as Parrot Analytics found that in 2021, 62 percent of the top 50 most viewed TV shows used a weekly release model. Rubenking said about this shift, “streaming services changed their distribution, making them more similar to traditional TV viewing.” This shift has created a hybrid model between binge-watching and traditional television, allowing viewers more control as they can watch a show every week or wait until all the episodes are out.

By Sarah Angel Majeed 33729881

References

Author, R. R. “A Third Is More Likely to Binge-Watch than Watch Weekly Releases.” Survey Results & Insights – Real Research Media, 30 Jan. 2023, realresearcher.com/media/a-third-is-more-likely-to-binge-watch-than-watch-weekly-releases/. Accessed 2 Nov. 2023.

Herman, Alison. “2021 Was the Year Binge-Watching Took a Back Seat to Weekly TV.” The Ringer, 16 Dec. 2021, http://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/12/16/22838792/binge-watching-weekly-tv-netflix-hbo-max-disney-plus.

Jenner, Mareike. Netflix and the Re-Invention of Television. Cham, Springer International Publishing, 2018, link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-94316-9.

Lotz, Amanda D. Portals : A Treatise on Internet-Distributed Television. Ann Arbor, Mich., Maize Books, An Imprint Of Michigan Publishing, 2017.

Massoto, Erick. “Netflix Considering Shift towards Weekly Releases.” Collider, 9 Sept. 2022, collider.com/netflix-weekly-release-plans/.