While Netflix refuses to completely abandon the release strategy of dropping up to eight episodes of a series in one block – having turned Stranger Things 5 into a bizarre three-part release rather than just giving fans weekly episodes – many others have started releasing their biggest shows in the style of network television. For Ackles, this is something that needed to happen to stop people feeling “left behind” when trying to watch their favorite shows and not have them spoiled by others. He told CinemaBlend:
“I feel like just the industry as a whole, there is a bit of a swing back from the streamer kind of Netflix model, if you will, of dropping all the episodes on one weekend. I always found, just personally, when that would happen, a show would drop and everyone that was available to watch all eight or ten episodes or whatever would do so. And if you didn’t, if you were like me and didn’t have the opportunity to watch everything, you were behind. And next thing you [know], you can’t be in conversations with people at the water cooler anymore, because they’re going to give you spoilers. And now, all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Well, what’s the point in watching? I’m so far behind, and I’ve heard the spoiler, and now it’s one of those things.’”
The Netflix Binge Model Worked During Lockdown, but Its Use Has Passed
The Covid pandemic changed many things around the world, and one big side effect of people around the world being forced to stay at home and avoid public spaces was that they watched more television. During this time, streaming platforms thrived, and the demand for content at a viewer’s fingertips hit an all-time high. At this time, the binge model favored by Netflix became the norm for most streaming releases, and was adopted by many other streamers.
Over time though, Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount+, and several others have reverted to weekly scheduled releases for shows linked to big IPs like the MCU, Rings of Power, and Yellowstone. As Ackles explained, people generally don’t have the time to sit down and watch up to 10 hours of television on the same day a series drops, and everyone knows that within hours of a series or movie debut, spoilers are everywhere – both with warnings attached like MovieWeb coverage and unannounced on social media platforms.
For this reason, returning to a weekly release schedule should be a no-brainer for a couple of reasons. It gives audiences a chance to spread word of mouth about a new show and potentially build an audience over several weeks and also means that their new content can be refreshed in streaming chart lists for a longer period. As streaming continues to evolve, no doubt all of this will change again over time based on viewing habits and demand from subscribers – after all, they are the ones making the money roll in.
