Netflix is explaining why it plans to stick to its binge-release strategy. As the streaming service that fundamentally altered Hollywood, the option of binging an entire season of a show as it dropped was one of several aspects that attracted millions of subscribers to Netflix once it began focusing on creating high-profile originals like House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black. A decade removed from when those shows first arrived, however, and a lot has changed.
These days, there are at least a handful of streaming services that compete with Netflix for the attention of audiences with series that are either star-studded or rely on beloved franchises. Disney+ has Marvel and Star Wars. Prime Video has The Boys and Lord of the Rings. HBO Max has House of the Dragon. In all of these cases, Netflix's competitors have declined to adopt the binge model. They've seen the benefits as a result — all of these shows, and many more smaller ones, generate a lot of buzz week-to-week. It has led to questions of why Netflix has stuck to an approach that has perhaps outlived its value.
In a letter to shareholders for the third quarter, Netflix addressed questions about the binge model directly. Netflix explained that the model helps with user engagement, especially for newer shows, and it cited Squid Game as an example of a show that benefited greatly from binging and might not have resonated so strongly without it. You can read more, from Variety, below:
“We think our bingeable release model helps drive substantial engagement, especially for newer titles. This enables viewers to lose themselves in stories they love. It’s hard to imagine, for example, how a Korean title like ‘Squid Game’ would have become a mega hit globally without the momentum that came from people being able to binge it. We believe the ability for our members to immerse themselves in a story from start to finish increases their enjoyment but also their likelihood to tell their friends, which then means more people watch, join and stay with Netflix.”
Netflix Is Experimenting With Its Binge Strategy (Even If It's Not A Total Shift)
There have been rumblings that Netflix should move away from bingeing. Even if it's not a total retreat from one of the main components of what helped to make it popular, Netflix is tinkering with the formula. For example, earlier in the year, Stranger Things season 4 was released in two separate batches. Moving forward, the romantic thriller YOU will also be split into two parts for its fourth outing. Cabinet Of Curiosities from Guillermo del Toro, meanwhile, will debut its anthology episodes on a nightly basis.
This is an implicit acknowledgment, at least, that the landscape has changed. There is far more quality television than any one viewer can promptly catch up with. Stranger Things season 4 boasted impressively long runtimes, perhaps benefiting from a breather. In a different sense, anthology episodes during Halloween month potentially gain from nightly drops where fans of Guillermo del Toro and general horror lovers can have something new to tune in for. More broadly, however, and at least for the foreseeable future, the Netflix binge model isn't going anywhere.
Source: Variety