3 ms·

I’m likely in the minority here, but I am grumpy enough to completely ignore what look like otherwise entertaining shows when they’re released with the artifici

by dpratt 5y ago

I’m likely in the minority here, but I am grumpy enough to completely ignore what look like otherwise entertaining shows when they’re released with the artificial scarcity model. Waiting a week for each episode was required by technological necessity in the days of broadcast TV, but on a streaming platform it just feels like the provider is giving me the finger. “I could give you all the episodes now, because they’re all completed and waiting for me to press this button, here, but I won’t. Why? Well, a part of it is because I’m afraid that you’ll cancel if you exhaust all our content, and I want to use psychological tricks to make you stick around due to an fear of missing out, but really, if I’m honest, it’s just because I like messing with people and I enjoy their displeasure, doubly so when I cause it.”

CharlesW 5y ago
> Waiting a week for each episode was required by technological necessity in the days of broadcast TV, but on a streaming platform it just feels like the provider is giving me the finger. Some viewers (and I suspect most creators) prefer a serialized release over season dumps, and there are definite pros to it from a social/conversational perspective. Even Netflix is doing this to help create more interest for titles. For example, the 9 episodes of Arcane were released in three, 3-episode "acts". On the bright side, you can still binge at season's end if you prefer that experience. You can even wait until the show has ended, since the time between season releases must seem especially cruel to you.
avl999 5y ago
Airing 1 or 2 episodes a week gives maximum opportunity for a show to be successful, esp if it's a smaller show that doesn't have a built in audience (ie. if it's not a Marvel/Disney show or returning seasons of successful shows). Airing weekly means that there is an ongoing conversation around your show (if it's any good) and each media outlet is potentially writing about your show n times as opposed to writing about your show 1 time reviewing the entire thing, that results in more chances for the audience finding your show. The cancelling the service thing is at best a secondary concern. Moreover creators of many show prefer that their show be consumed on a week to week basis as opposed to binged in 1 sitting with little opportunity for the audience to reflect on it. HBO has mastered that art of "1 episode a week to maximize the audience and buzz of what appears to be a niche show" even on their streaming service and as a result have found unconventional hits like Euphoria, The White Lotus, Succession, The Leftovers which would otherwise have been lost in the glut of peak tv abyss if they were just dropped in one night.
- em-bee 5y ago
  i watch only one episode per day, but i like to watch several shows in parallel. even if they come out all at once, i get to see an episode of each show only about once a week. i discuss most of the shows i watch with my friends. when they come out weekly, then we have a discussion about the new episode every week. if they come out at once, then not much discussion happens. so yes, weekly releases are definitely more engaging.

by dpratt 5y ago

CharlesW 5y ago

> Waiting a week for each episode was required by technological necessity in the days of broadcast TV, but on a streaming platform it just feels like the provider is giving me the finger. Some viewers (and I suspect most creators) prefer a serialized release over season dumps, and there are definite pros to it from a social/conversational perspective. Even Netflix is doing this to help create more interest for titles. For example, the 9 episodes of Arcane were released in three, 3-episode "acts". On the bright side, you can still binge at season's end if you prefer that experience. You can even wait until the show has ended, since the time between season releases must seem especially cruel to you.

avl999 5y ago

Airing 1 or 2 episodes a week gives maximum opportunity for a show to be successful, esp if it's a smaller show that doesn't have a built in audience (ie. if it's not a Marvel/Disney show or returning seasons of successful shows). Airing weekly means that there is an ongoing conversation around your show (if it's any good) and each media outlet is potentially writing about your show n times as opposed to writing about your show 1 time reviewing the entire thing, that results in more chances for the audience finding your show. The cancelling the service thing is at best a secondary concern. Moreover creators of many show prefer that their show be consumed on a week to week basis as opposed to binged in 1 sitting with little opportunity for the audience to reflect on it. HBO has mastered that art of "1 episode a week to maximize the audience and buzz of what appears to be a niche show" even on their streaming service and as a result have found unconventional hits like Euphoria, The White Lotus, Succession, The Leftovers which would otherwise have been lost in the glut of peak tv abyss if they were just dropped in one night.

em-bee 5y ago
i watch only one episode per day, but i like to watch several shows in parallel. even if they come out all at once, i get to see an episode of each show only about once a week. i discuss most of the shows i watch with my friends. when they come out weekly, then we have a discussion about the new episode every week. if they come out at once, then not much discussion happens. so yes, weekly releases are definitely more engaging.