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What's the best release format for a streaming series?

1,706 Views | 22 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Ulrich
hunter2012
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9:04a, 1/15/21
AG
I'm curious what ya'll think since so many shows have gone to streaming. I've seen:

  • Releasing the whole series at once. This gets the show hype for a short period but after about a week people have moved on.(most Netflix series)
  • Releasing one episode a week for the duration of the series. If it's a highly anticipated show this can be the best format since it keeps drawing people back.(see Mandalorian)
  • Releasing a set of the first few episodes and then release once a week after that. This seems like a good way to build momentum after people have binged through the first few episodes.(The Expanse did this)
  • I've had an idea that they should try to release the whole series except for the series finale which they then release a few weeks or month later in order to build and keep hype and anticipation.
I wonder if the streaming services figure out which one will maximize the audience for a particular show. It's somewhat of a new analytics for the silver screen.
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javajaws
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9:17a, 1/15/21
AG
I much prefer all at once. With single episode per week releases it can be hard to get into a new series. Also, if they have a bad episode it really can kill interest.
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expresswrittenconsent
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11:33a, 1/15/21
It depends.
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Fat Bib Fortuna
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12:06p, 1/15/21
I really dislike the "season dump" mentality to shows. Binging takes away from the effect of storytelling that is a huge part of the entertainment process for me.

Despite being a professional writer, I am a pretty slow reader because I really like to take my time building the story in my head and embracing the details. The same is true for watching episodes of television. The 6.9999 days of discussion that I have on TexAgs, with my brother, and with my kids between episodes of The Mandalorian is almost as fun as the show itself. That made shows I enjoyed on TV like Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and The Shield so good, the week of anticipation where my subconscious mind would chip away at things I had seen, my speculation, etc.

The only show I've ever binged watched are Stranger Things, Living with Yourself, and You, and even then I beg off after 2-3 episodes. Watching them all at once takes the weight out of the individual episode. It makes me imagine going to a 5-star restaurant and they bring the appetizers, the wine, the salad, the entree and dessert all out at the same time, stack them all on the table, and you eat them without talking or taking a break. I
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12:11p, 1/15/21
PatAg
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3:15p, 1/15/21
AG
The only reason the companies DONT release all at once, is so they can milk subscriber money. That's it

I don't personally mind spacing out my watching, even shows that dump all at once, I don't bing them all in one day anymore. But I also don't like having to wait to watch once a week if I have some free time to watch more.
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In reply to PatAg • 5:19p, 1/15/21
SJEAg
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5:37p, 1/15/21
AG
Do 2-4ay once, then space it. Not that anyone does this.
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BenTheGoodAg
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In reply to Fat Bib Fortuna • 6:10p, 1/15/21
AG
Interesting point. I sort of feel the opposite, though not because I prefer to consume my media all at once. For me, weekly releases really affect how the flow of the story is presented to the audience.

Have you ever binged watched a show like "Lost" or "Heroes"? There's a weekly cliffhanger, but it's alot more obvious when watched back-to-back. It's totally written to draw the audience back in for next week. It's almost exhausting to watch a few episodes at a time. Compared to shows like "House of Cards" and "The Crown", I just don't think the overall story moves as well.

I think about "Great Expectations" which was released in installments, but when read as a book in 9th grade English class, ended up reading like a giant steaming turd.
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gigemags-99
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8:06a, 1/16/21
AG
I guess I like the nostalgia of waiting week between episodes, but for some shows I just can't do it. Even before streaming, I'd DVR Breaking Bad and wait until I had a few episodes saved before starting the new season.

I waited for season 4 to come out on DVD and watched it in one day. Guess you could say I was binging before binging was cool.
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Muy
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8:10a, 1/16/21
AG
At once to consume it all fast.

Spread it out so we have a life not consumed with binge watching.
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Fat Bib Fortuna
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8:18a, 1/16/21
Actually, I did binge the first season of The Shield on DVD after I caught the season I finale on TV late one night and went out and bought the first season the next day.

Those were the days of it being 1 a.m. with work the next morning and looking at the clock thinking "it's just 43 more minutes, that's closer to 30 than an hour, I'll be fine watching one more."
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Max Power
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8:29a, 1/16/21
AG
If it's a mediocre to decent show I prefer the season dump so I'll watch it all. Otherwise I'm unlikely to finish it. Great shows I prefer the weekly release to slow the burn, get more invested in the story.
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bluefire579
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In reply to PatAg • 8:36a, 1/16/21
AG
PatAg said:
The only reason the companies DONT release all at once, is so they can milk subscriber money. That's it

I don't personally mind spacing out my watching, even shows that dump all at once, I don't bing them all in one day anymore. But I also don't like having to wait to watch once a week if I have some free time to watch more.
I wouldn't necessarily say it's just milking subscriber money. I'm sure that plays into it, but if someone really wants to save the money, they can wait until all episodes are out, do a month, and then immediately cancel.

To me, I think it's more about the built in word-of-mouth marketing. If you release something all at once, people will talk about it for a week or so, and then it slips away once everyone has binged and talked it out. For something like the Mandalorian, people were talking about it each and every week for two months straight. It prolongs the amount of time that it's appearing on message boards, in youtube videos talking about theories or easter eggs, in memes. It's something that's going to drive more people to it over a longer period of time.
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Bruce Almighty
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12:48p, 1/16/21
AG
I prefer streaming, but at my own pace. I'd rather watch a 10 episode season over 2 weeks than over 10 weeks or 2 days.
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Ornithopter
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4:09p, 1/16/21
AG
I like the weekly release so I can enjoy discussion threads.
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powerbelly
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In reply to Ornithopter • 4:20p, 1/16/21
AG
DubFalls said:
I like the weekly release so I can enjoy discussion threads.
This is my preference. The weekly slow burn and anticipation for the next episode adds to the experience.
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Quad Dog
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6:00p, 1/16/21
AG
I know podcasters and pop culture media sites like the weekly releases. It gives them a month or more of stories and traffic vs one week.
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Saxsoon
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6:41p, 1/16/21
AG
I think the discussion that is driven on the Mando thread vs stranger things which is in many ways should have more discussion shows that the weekly drop has higher engagement. The discussion is around for months that just a few weeks.
Do I wish I had it all now, yes, but it is nice looking forward to Friday as well.
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In reply to Saxsoon • 8:03p, 1/16/21
AggieDub14
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11:32p, 1/16/21
AG
Unpopular opinion: good shows aren't meant to be binge watched. After 2 hours of a show you aren't absorbing everything.

I think The Boys season 2 did it right. Release 3 episodes then make it a weekly release after that. It's enough to get back into the show and get hooked. Then process what you watched and get excited for next week. Keeps the hype going.

Good shows also have people theorizing online what will happen next. That's part of the fun imo.
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expresswrittenconsent
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In reply to AggieDub14 • 10:25a, 1/17/21
AggieDub14 said:
Unpopular opinion: good shows aren't meant to be binge watched. After 2 hours of a show you aren't absorbing everything.

I think The Boys season 2 did it right. Release 3 episodes then make it a weekly release after that. It's enough to get back into the show and get hooked. Then process what you watched and get excited for next week. Keeps the hype going.

Good shows also have people theorizing online what will happen next. That's part of the fun imo.

I don't think that's an unpopular opinion but it's also not really relevant whether the creator/distributor meant for his/her product to be consumed binge vs weekly just like it's irrelevant that they may prefer you watch on a movie screen or TV vs a PC or phone.

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12:53p, 1/17/21
Ulrich
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In reply to Fat Bib Fortuna • 1:32p, 1/17/21
Fat Bib Fortuna said:
The 6.9999 days of discussion that I have on TexAgs, with my brother, and with my kids between episodes of The Mandalorian is almost as fun as the show itself. That made shows I enjoyed on TV like Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and The Shield so good, the week of anticipation where my subconscious mind would chip away at things I had seen, my speculation, etc.

I'm impressed that you can watch an episode in under 9 seconds.
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