johnnysd

I think everyone loves the "binge" model that the streamers provide but it forces them to just have this endless stream of new content which is difficult and prohibitively expensive to maintain.

I can see two models that could work better for the streamers but also keep subscriptions higher:

Model 1: Shows are still bingeable but not all at once. You would divide the series into groups of 3-4 episodes and drop them close together but where they overlap a month

Model 2: Create categories of shows and offer them with different streaming models. So as an example for Netflix they could:
1. Take their really elite and expensive shows like Stranger Things and The Witcher and move to a weekly model. Witcher hype would be huger (its already big) with a weekly release schedule
2. Take the second tier of shows and the medium expensive ones and use the semi-binge model above
3. Drop the lower cost, and less genre specific new shows in the old model

I think Model 2 would work really well. They would have some tentpole shows say 5 to 6 (easy for them to figure out ones) and then other more consumable content below it.

Thoughts?

fujishig

I think they already have different streaming models; perhaps it's only shows with international rights but I know some shows drop on a weekly basis instead of all at once.

I'm of the mind that doing it week to week generates at least a little more discussion/buildup, but I can understand why people like to binge. This works in a bad way for their anime, though, because you basically have to wait until the season is over and sometimes even longer for them to even release it, as opposed to the simulstreams pretty much all the other services do.

DJariya

Netflix has so many "original" shows that they just keep dropping the entire 10-12 episode seasons for, that they just got lost in the glut of content.

It just becomes impossible to keep up with all of them.

I do agree the bigger budget genre shows need a different approach if you want to keep buzz and interest going. Otherwise, within a month, no one will care about them and the "bingers" will move on to something else.

dex14

I think Netflix would benefit from having some shows drop weekly, but they are too far past the point of no return of changing their model, IMO. Binging is what they've built their brand on.

Hulu, on the other hand, does drop some shows weekly and you don't hear much about them. Their biggest show was The Handmaid's Tale and it isn't really making a splash anymore.

Mike86

I think for higher profile shows Netflix could have gotten away with week to week content but it’s probably late to change it up now. I could see The Witcher working week to week, and had they released the Marvel shows week to week I think they would have worked too.

I much prefer week to week for most shows. I’d rather watch a show for two to three months, let it set in a bit, and generate some good discussion versus watch everything in a day or two and then having to wait a year or more for another season.

andicus

I'm more interested in what benefits me, so I'm all for the dropping of seasons, in their entirety. Having said that, I'm not one that starts and stops my streaming services, based on when shows drop. The three services I have (Prime, Netflix, and Criterion) are permanent fixtures.

I just wish they'd allow us to kill any form of autoplay/autopreview, etc. It just pisses me off every time it happens.

DWilson

The problem right now is that Netflix purportedly bases popularity on you watching the show in its initial four weeks and watching it completely in that period.

spainlinx0

I’m down for weekly releases of shows. I like bingeing, but I like discussing shows just as much. Weekly releases is much more conducive to that, and if a show gets buzz, people can catch up quickly and then join in the discussion. I don’t think Mandalorian would have had nearly the amount of buzz if it dropped all at once. I don’t even think it’s that good of a show, but weekly releases kept people talking about it, and about baby Yoda of course.

andicus

^Okay, fair point. For releases in their entirety, I try to stay out of the threads discussing them until I'm done the season, as someone has probably buzzed through the episodes in a day.

I suspect many do this, as for weekly shows, the discussions tend to be more in-depth.

DJariya

Some of you are forgetting when House of Cards launched several years ago on Netflix , we tried to do episode threads. Nobody initiated any discussion in the individual threads. Most just waited until they finished all 13 episodes and commented in the last thread. How long did House of Cards stay relevant after it came out? 3 maybe 4 weeks? You exhaust yourself watching all 13 episodes in like 2 to 3 days, are you really going to analyze something that happened in episode 3 when your done? Chances are you’re not going to fucking remember that episode.

The binge model (dumping the entire season at once) is simply not practical for a message board like this to have in-depth discussion weekly. No one is ever on the same page. And when most people finish seasons, they move on.

The Mandalorian being weekly created weekly buzz and was talked about for the last 2 months. And look a puppet character is like the biggest thing in pop culture right now. This show came out 2 months ago.

The Witcher came out 18 days ago and hardly anyone is talking about it now.

One movie pundit who I follow on YouTube has received some requests to do a Witcher spoiler discussion? But he also asked what’s the point? Season was dumped weeks ago. Is it really practical for him to create a live video to talk about it when he has no idea who is watching, who finished the season and how to approach discussion.

johnnysd

This is a good point and a broader sense the streaming services NEED to get sustained discussion of their tentpole shows to keep subscribers and gain new ones.

Amazon is doing the Wheel of Time as a TV series. It has a huge built in fan base from the books, and there were some polls that showed that it is Amazon's most anticipated show (even over the LOTR show). I think it is critical that Amazon releases the show weekly in my view. Look at the attention the Mandalorian got from a weekly (almost) release schedule.

rw2516

Drop the first three episodes at once for everybody to binge and go weekly after that. Stagger the release of new shows so there's a show to binge and 1-3 to follow. Once all shows are weekly people can binge all the new weekly episodes at one time. Using the Arrowverse for example

Week 1: Arrow 1-3
Week 2: Flash 1-3, Arrow 4
Week 3 Supergirl 1-3, Flash 2, Arrow 5
Week 4: Batwoman 1-3, Supergirl 2, Flash 3, Arrow 6
Week 5: People can binge all new weekly episodes at once until shows finish.

You get to binge and watch weekly both.

dex14

Amazon has done weekly releases for some shows, so they aren't opposed to it.

csant

I like the binge model... can't stand the weekly model anymore. And one of my favorite shows is Power (weekly release on Starz), hell I loved Game of Thrones. But given the option I would binge watch in a heart beat. I don't even watch regular tv anymore. None of the new shows even remotely interest me.

I just like the control I have over binge watching. I can watch a hole series fast or take my time.

fujishig

That's the thing though. With weekly releases, you also have that same option... you just have to wait a little longer.

d2cheer

Exactly

I don't think they really care about the lack of discussion here. Trying to change that model now would not be good for them. They are already irritating enough with changes they have made.

Noonan

Since we still have network TV doing the weekly schedule, I much prefer having Netflix continue to drop whole seasons.

Red Dog

Same here.

If Netflix went to a weekly model, I'd just wait until the season ends and then binge them. Hell, I'm already behind on several Netflix (and Amazon) seasons that dropped over the last 3-4 months. That's what I do with Handmaids Tale on Hulu.

spainlinx0

And that's fine for people who don't care about discussion threads. It's not like we're advocating for Netflix to stop allowing binge viewing. Anyone who enjoys watching all episodes at once is able to still do that. However, I think a lot of shows would benefit from a weekly release for all the reasons I and others have mentioned above.

ben12

The problem with the streaming model is TV series are now movie-length stories stretched to fill 8-12 episodes. If I see an interesting premise on a Netflix program and then see it's a season instead of a single movie, I don't bother with it.

TomOpus

Many series episodes are 30 mins or less. You're missing out on some good shows just because they're series instead of a single movie.

Goat3001

The Mandalorian is also a Star Wars product on a shiny new, much hyped, streaming service. The Witcher is a far lesser known commodity. Instead of The Witcher, take Netflix's hottest product, Stranger Things and the comparison doesn't fully stand anymore. Stranger Things is big whenever they release a season and it does huge in merchandising/pop culture.

I don't believe that Netflix's intention is for us to keep up with all of them. They want to dump out as much original content as possible and will try to fill niche markets. The idea is that most viewers will always have something to watch or at the very least, have something they plan to watch at a later date. Netflix loves nothing more than a subscriber having a big backlog, it keeps people from unsubscribing.

Netflix has tried weekly shows too. They were all in the "news" realm though and none of them were very successful. They had a "The Soup" type show with Joel McHale and another weekly show that didn't last long (I can't remember it). They currently have Patriot Act which drops weekly, does 4 episodes and then goes on hiatus. I think that's pretty popular. It's basically their version of Last Week Tonight.

dex14

Stranger Things is big for like two weeks and then people move on to the next thing. Atleast that is how it seemed for this past season.

fujishig

Personally I think the last season of Stranger Things was done and gone in a flash compared to other stuff of a similar popularity that went week to week. But that may just be on discussion boards.

And it's fine if Netflix wants us to all have a backlog, but that's counteracted by the widely held belief that they base ratings solely on who binges their shows in their entirety the first few weeks of release, which is ridiculous.

dex14

They are going to have alter this and their "30 episode" plans now that they are moving in the direction of being a home for their own content vs. temporarily acquired rights.