Distributing Entire TV Seasons All at Once Has Downsides

According to Netflix, one in ten of its streaming subscribers have watched its exclusive drama “House of Cards.” On average, each of those viewers has taken in six to 13 episodes so far, of the 13 total available in season one – all of which was made available at one time. This delivery approach intended to capitalize on viewers’ desire to binge-watch entire seasons in short periods of time. Some see this distribution model as a risky proposition.

“By giving up the level of constant social media chatter that accrues to shows that are released episodically, Netflix missed out on the kind of sustained conversations that help a show find its widest possible audience,” writes Quartz.

While this is difficult (if not impossible) to prove, some preliminary data from Google Trends tracked how many times people searched for “House of Cards” in comparison to searches for two recent hit shows, “Downton Abbey” and “Game of Thrones.”

“The trends are clear,” suggests Quartz. “Interest in a show spikes when its season begins and builds to an even bigger crescendo around the season finale. Throughout the season, search volume is sustained at a high level. By giving people time to discover a show and/or be cajoled into watching it by their own fear of missing out, episodic TV inherently meshes with viral and social marketing.”

However, “House of Cards” experienced a relatively low search volume at the time of its launch. “The question is: will that volume increase and be sustained in a pattern resembling that of other shows? And why would it, given that all the show’s surprises have been revealed, and there is no opportunity to commune with millions of other viewers as new episodes air?” asks Quartz.

Media critic David Carr suggests that the weekly social elements of episodic TV make more sustained success. For example, when “people tweet along with the show as its broadcast, share their feelings on recent episodes on Facebook, and read episode recaps when they miss the show.”

Because the entire season of “House of Cards” is made available all at once, Netflix “has missed out on the multiplicative effect that happens when the conversation around a show is concentrated in time. It’s too early to tell if this will reduce the show’s potential long-term audience, but it certainly can’t help,” concludes Quartz.

No Comments Yet

You can be the first to comment!

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.