Netflix Has No Plans To Back Down From Its Binge-Watching New Release Model
The world of streaming services is getting more and more fractured, thanks to the major services constantly fighting for viewers with their quality content, and a huge amount of cheap streaming services providing options for major players like HBO Max, Amazon's Prime Video, Disney+ and, of course, Netflix.
Unlike many streaming services that favor a weekly release model, Netflix has become known for dropping an entire season at once. This is great for fans who love to binge the latest season of "Cobra Kai," but it's also very much an outlier model when you compare it to the one-episode-a-week schedule every other major streamer seems to swear by.
Netflix has been known to experiment with its release schedules on occasion. In August 2022, the streamer announced that Guillermo del Toro's "Cabinet of Curiosities" will steer clear of the traditional Netflix binge model, and its eight episodes will be released over four days instead. However, fans of the binge model have nothing to worry about, because such experiments aren't indicative of Netflix's shift to weekly releases. In fact, it seems that the streaming service fully intends to remain committed to its signature binge model. Here's why.
Netflix quotes Squid Game as an example of the binge model's success
A new letter to Netflix's shareholders (via The Verge) has confirmed that the streaming giant is taking a "if it's not broke, don't fix it" approach to the binge release model. The letter mentioned "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" as an example of how well the binge model can work, before moving to what the company considers an even better precedent. Netflix considers the record-smashing survival drama "Squid Game" a prime example of how well the binge model can work, and the letter indicates that the release model was, in fact, key to the show's smash hit success.
"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," Netflix's letter read. "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."
The letter makes it perfectly clear that as things stand, people who enjoy binging their shows can rest assured that Netflix isn't about to drop the model any time soon.