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Binge Watch vs. Weekly Release: which brings greater satisfaction?
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Binge or Periodic viewing?  

6 members have voted

  1. 1. Binge or Periodic viewing?

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46 posts in this topic

Agreed - I like the option of binging, but even then have to ration myself.

 

Daredevil - I took in about 2 episodes at a time, rationing it out a long week.

 

Homeland, however, would kill my weekend.

 

I don't have Showtime, so I'd buy the DVDs by the season -- I never lasted more than 3 days to finish it. To the extent that I'd actually hold off on buying another season until I was sure I could waste 2-3 days in a row on it.

I prefer to binge watch also. I just went through all 5 Seasons of Homeland. I couldn't stop watching & really didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Poor Quinn. :( They have him credited for another Season, so I'm anxious to see what happens next. Was disappointed that Season 6 has skipped over to 2017. :cry:

 

So...I haven't actually watched Season 5 yet. But - wasn't really a spoiler since we have indeed seen that he returns for Season 6.

 

And, if y'all haven't yet seen it, Homeland Seasons 1-4 are now streaming via Hulu.

Sorry, wasn't trying to spoil it for you. It was a great Season. Let me just say :o
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Looks like a rumor started that Netflix was going to drop binge-dropping shows due to customer dissatisfaction afterwards. But it is interesting how with certain shows it has done this selectively. And the thoughts on the negatives with such an approach.

No, Netflix Will Not Release More Episodes Weekly Instead Of Binge-Dropping

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Today, there have been a few headlines floating around that Netflix is planning on experimenting with a new model of releasing shows weekly rather than all at once, deviating from its signature. That idea is particularly timely, given that Disney+ has now confirmed it will be airing episodes weekly, but as it turns out, this is not really what’s happening at all.

 

Netflix actually replied to a Complex article claiming that “multiple series” were now doing this, implying some sort of larger change for the future. In reality, what’s happening is that some of its licensed shows, it gives The Great British Baking Show as an example, have always been released weekly due to the terms of its licensing deals. I’ve seen this with a few different Asian shows in the past as well. And the one more recent example cited is for Rhythm & Flow, where Netflix says it’s only releasing those episodes weekly because it’s a competition reality show and they don’t want to spoil who the winner will be.

 

But Netflix has no larger plans to switch to this model with its other programming, though it’s the subject of some debate of whether that would be a good idea or not.

 

While Netflix has their fair share of hit series, no doubt, and the company has amassed huge amount of subscribers based on its binge-watching philosophy, I have always found it a bit odd how quickly most Netflix shows disappear from the cultural conversation.

 

For instance, it’s hard to imagine that shows like The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones would have caught fire to the extent they did were every episode of each season dumped out all at once. Part of the fun of shows like that are discussing the twists and turns of every episode, who lives and dies, who betrays who, and so on. But binge-watching eliminates that possibility, as you have to instead discuss seasons as a whole, and can’t talk about them until people are finished due to everyone being on different episodes. And those conversations usually last no more than a few days after airing.

 

This seems particularly relevant as Netflix moves to release a Game of Thrones competitor like The Witcher, which will probably just be the focus of a weekend conversation, with all eight episodes dumped at once, rather than something to talk about for two months if the episodes were released one by one. And when you think of how many key shows Disney+ is releasing with its Star Wars and Marvel series, and that they’re all going to be out week to week, that’s a whole lot of constant conversation about their programming while each Netflix show fades quickly just a few days after its debut.

 

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I have to agree the concerns with Binge-drops are:

1) Spoilers get leaked too rapidly by early viewers

2) Post-season dissatisfaction having to wait for the next season for what seems a longer time

3) The show comes and goes and feels to drop out of conversations quickly

I think Disney+ is smart to force a weekly release schedule with its short-schedule shows.

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17 hours ago, PunisherPunisherPunisher said:

I love binge watching but to many spoilers out there, so with certain shows that are hugely popular I watch weekly while other shows that people don't talk about I binge watch them

I've only had that problem with Game of Thrones because enough people watched it that overhearing talk about it at my office was a real concern.  Here I just avoid threads for binge-drop shows until I've had time to finish the season.  Most recently I avoided "The Boys" thread until I saw it.

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22 hours ago, Bosco685 said:

I have to agree the concerns with Binge-drops are:

1) Spoilers get leaked too rapidly by early viewers

2) Post-season dissatisfaction having to wait for the next season for what seems a longer time

3) The show comes and goes and feels to drop out of conversations quickly

I think Disney+ is smart to force a weekly release schedule with its short-schedule shows.

4) Recurring revenue - Much easier to keep someone subscribing to the service if they have to follow a show over several months. 

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1 minute ago, Antpark said:

4) Recurring revenue - Much easier to keep someone subscribing to the service if they have to follow a show over several months. 

^^

That's a really good point from a business perspective. Keeping show-watchers coming back for more.

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I prefer the weekly drops rather than binge watching...unless it was something like Lost that seemed to have 2 new shows for every 5 weeks.  I started watching that a few seasons it, so it was nice to catch up (using the Blockbuster mail-in service that could then be traded in at the store, allowing me to watch a few more discs while waiting for the next ones to be mailed).  It became a chore since once we caught up since new episodes seemed to be delayed often

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my friends who binged GOT really don't recall many plot points. one even forgot about the "death" of a lead character. taking your time to watch a show brings a deeper enjoyment and allows for processing time, imho. i spent 9 yrs watching GOT and the wait made it all the more enjoyable.

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30 minutes ago, www.alexgross.com said:

my friends who binged GOT really don't recall many plot points. one even forgot about the "death" of a lead character. taking your time to watch a show brings a deeper enjoyment and allows for processing time, imho. i spent 9 yrs watching GOT and the wait made it all the more enjoyable.

 

14 minutes ago, media_junkie said:

I think the you lose some of the "impact" of a show when you binge it.  

I have to agree with this. I binged a show one weekend and afterwards read some articles about some reveals and couldn't even remember a few of those details.

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Definitely more of a journey with weekly drops. If you’re really into a show like GoT or The Mandalorian, it’s great to have the week to listen to podcasts, maybe a rewatch, forum chat etc and have a better absorption of the story.  That all kinda goes out the window with a binge format.  

Edited by bentbryan
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i am fine either way. i can only do 3-4 hours on a binge anyway before i fall asleep. mind you, i have a lot of shows I have enjoyed and somewhere in seasons 2 - 4 I may burn out and may have to return later. I am half way through the last season of last kingdom and just needed a break. ditto sneaky pete. i binged the heck out of gotham and got half way into the last season and needed to take a break for a few months. i had to wait like 6 months to finish the last season of jessica jones. i found the plot of the last season mentally exhausting. this is probably why netflix kills a lot of shows in season 3-5.

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Binge watching is OK for lighter TV like 'Umbrella Academy' season 3 or 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.' For more series dramas or psychological crime like 'Ozark' season 4 or 'Shining Girls' season 1, I recommend weekly viewing, as more intense.

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I have done both binge and week to week.

Depends on how gripping the show is and when did I start watching.

The Boys has really grabbed me but as I only started watching mid season 3 all the "buzz" was ancient history. I liked the show a lot, and once I started I was up to date within a week watching 2-4 episodes daily. Now that I am up to date I have changed to weekly on the show.

The current Star Trek: Strange New Worlds I have been viewing weekly because I started watching it when it started.

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I have to agree it depends on the show and level of depth needed to get the story.

I'm finally getting around to watching Amazon's Jack Ryan series. So good! But also short episodes so it is easy to get through 2-3 in a sitting and still get outside to enjoy the summer weather.

:cloud9:

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