In the old days, TV episodes came out once a week. Dying to know what happens next on your favorite show? Too bad. You’ll have to be patient. Have other plans while the latest episode airs? Better hope you remembered to set your VCR, or pray that the next rerun isn’t too far away. It was the age of the dreaded cliffhanger, and studios kept us all on their schedules.
Netflixand otheron-demand streaming serviceschanged all that. Suddenly, full seasons of exciting new shows likeHouse of Cards,Orange is the New Black,andStranger Thingsdropped all at once. No need to wait. Sit down and watch the whole season — or even the whole series — in one sleepless, snack-ridden, why-the-hell-did-I-do-this evening.
Binge-watching became a hallmark of the streaming era, but not everyone is playing along. While Netflix has madebinging TVan American pastime, services likeHBO,Hulu, and the upcomingDisney+choose to release episodes of at least some of their original series on a once-a-week schedule. You can binge a show when the season is over, but if you’re planning on staying up-to-date onThe Mandalorian,Watchmen, orThe Handmaid’s Tale, you’re going to have to endure a lot of downtime between episodes.
While that may seem a little old fashioned, for streamers who want to compete with Netflix’s seemingly endless library of titles, it’s never been more practical.
The watercooler effect
A staggered release schedule may not be great for those who prefer the freedom to watch their favorite shows on their own schedule, but it’s a great way for the ever-growing collection of video streamers to generate buzz, press, and most importantly, money. When a full season of a show hits Netflix at once, the season itself is the draw — but it doesn’t last long. When episodes are spaced out over a few months, each installment can become its own major event.
For proof, look no further than HBO’s mega-hitGame of Thrones. Whether youliked the finale or not, you can’t deny thatGame of Thrones‘ final season wasa pop culture sensationthroughout its run. For six weeks, we spent every Sunday night glued toHBO in one of its multiple iterations.
On Monday mornings, we’d ramble excitedly or grumble dejectedly about the latest goings-on in Westeros with friends and co-workers. We’d catch up onthe latest fan theorieson sites like Digital Trends. And all of this fed the hype, ratcheting up anticipation. By the next Sunday, we couldn’t wait to tune in, and the process would start all over again.
While Netflix shows likeStranger ThingsandGLOWgenerate plenty of discussion, everyone watches at different rates. You can’t share memes or talk about plot twists because you might spoil something. Just as importantly for studio execs, the zeitgeist moment for these shows is extremely limited.
We could all speculate on what would happen duringThe Battle of Winterfell, because everyone was on the same schedule.
For a few weeks leading up to the season premiere, there’sa flurry of press and speculation. The show drops, usually on a Friday. People binge the series over the weekend, social media goes wild for a day or two, and criticspublish their roundupsas fast as they can. Then, life moves on. A week or two later, everyone’s talking about something else.
It’s all about content
Of course, Netflixdoeshave a flood of content, and that’s why it can drop entire seasons on a single day. There’s always something to watch next, and Netflix is all too happy to telegraph it across your screen when you log in.
Netflix doesn’t just have a show for everybody. It has multiple shows for everybody, and new seasons are arriving all the time. Other services don’t have that luxury.
Sure, Disney+ has all kinds ofStar WarsandMarvel Cinematic Universe projectsin the works, but onlyThe Mandalorianwill be available at launch. TheRogue One prequel seriesandObi-Wan miniserieshaven’t even started filming yet.Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Disney+’s first MCU series currently scheduled for release, is still a year away.
HBO is in a similar situation. While the premium network produces many original series, it tends to save its biggest shows for Sunday nights, so it can only air one or two at a time. AsGame of Thronesand past hits likeThe Sopranosshow, it’s a winning strategy. Right now,Successionis a social media darling. Damon Lindelof’sWatchmenarrives this fall.His Dark Materialsshould debut before the end of the year, with its own built-in audience from the novels.
While Netflix can afford to drop a full season of a show and move on, everyone else needs to be stingy with their original series.
Netflix, Disney+, HBO, and other streaming services are bigger than just their original programming. They havedeep catalogs full of materialwhich would take years, if not a lifetime, to get through. But original series generate the buzz. Theywin the Emmys. They generate the big revenue. If a streaming service wants to be part of the conversation, it needs homegrown hits.
While Netflix can afford to drop a full season of a show and move on, everyone else needs to be stingy with their original series if they want to keep people talking and, more importantly, paying. Sure, maybe viewers will check out a movie or two while they’re waiting, but it’s the original series that keep them coming back for more.
Disney+, HBO and others understand this. For better or worse when it comes to us, the viewers, they’re going to keep milking those shows for all they’re worth.
