Streaming services have relied on the novelty of releasing an entire series at once to draw in viewers. Even while the revenue model sounded strange at first, other platforms soon followed suit and even started producing original material just for the purpose of a series drop, thanks to fan responses. A new season or series may be devoured in the span of a single weekend, which is a marvel in and of itself. Netflix, in particular, has been able to guarantee an interested audience by carefully scheduling the release of episodes that are worthy of binge-watching.

Economically speaking, Jenner claims that Netflix wants to minimise disruptions to users’ subscriptions. Customers are less likely to cancel their subscriptions as long as they participate in me-dia marathons. According to this viewpoint, Netflix bases a big portion of its distribution strategy on binge-watching, depending on a system that distributes content all at once and personalised user recommendations. The term “binge-worthy” is used in Netflix’s personalised recommendation menu, demonstrating the streaming service’s strong emphasis on this kind of consumption.

Mareike Jenner investigates the relationship between Netflix’s official data—which indicates that the typical portal user views binge-watching as a session consisting of two to six episodes from the same production—and the company’s business plan. According to the author, it will be more difficult for consumers to cancel their Netflix subscription as long as they are able to participate in the popular cultural practice of binge-watching as long as they can watch just two episodes consecutively. The method also clarifies why other well-known businesses, like Hulu or Amazon, have adopted comparable distribution strategies.

TV series distribution and consumption patterns have evolved with the introduction of internet streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. The Video-on-Demand (VoD) portals have renewed viewers’ perceptions of television by introducing new channels via which media products can be reached.

Binge-watching has become a major part of many consumers’ lives and, moreover, the worldwide agenda of the television production industry since the term appeared on the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year short list in 2013.

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Reference:

Paul BOCA, 2019. ‘Binge-Watching’. Available at: https://www.mrjournal.ro/docs/R2/34JMR1.pdf .