Weekly Episode Releases Overshadow Binge Watching

TikTok influencers have drove masses to hop on Amazon trends. Source: Madelyn Kemler '24

Due to the recent rise in popularity around shows released on a weekly basis – like “Euphoria” and “The Sex Lives of College Girls” – the question of whether or not streaming services would receive positive feedback if they shifted their current model to mimic that of traditional cable TV has arisen. 

HBO Max, the provider that delivers both “The Sex Lives of College Girls” and “Euphoria” to the public, airs their original shows on a weekly basis rather than releasing them in seasons, like Netflix and Hulu. Seeing that cable is becoming less present in American households, the use of these streaming services is increasing. The amount of Americans who watch cable television has dropped nearly 20% since 2015, with 56% of the population continuing to utilize it as of 2021. They do have many benefits, especially in comparison to the price of cable, but many people still continue to miss the idea of television. 

HBO Max has started working to replicate the experience of cable TV by airing individual episodes of a series at a time rather than dropping full seasons to keep audiences more engaged. Although this is great for viewership, as people will come back each week for a new episode of their favorite show, this negates a recently marketable term called “binge-watching.” Shows that have resorted to weekly releases make up 62% of the 50 most popular titles today, which is nearly double that of 2020 – proving its recent increase in popularity. 

The term “binge-watching” began gaining popularity in 2013 to describe watching several episodes of a Netflix show in succession. WTSP’s Avery Anderson writes that “in 2015 [binge-watching] became so popular Collins English Dictionary made it word of the year.” Since the use of the term is so widespread, it helps viewers think of Netflix when they hear the term, essentially providing them with free advertising. But, seeing the success of shows on HBO Max, I believe more viewers would turn to Netflix if they began to release new episodes of their original shows weekly. Especially with the recent increase in monthly subscription price, varying from an additional one to two dollars depending on location/plan, it is possible that launching this weekly feature would counteract this price hike. With hopes and rumors of the Coronavirus pandemic coming to an end, less people are stuck at home with nothing to do but binge-watch their favorite series. With this sudden return to normalcy, people are busy once more and having an episode aired each week would provide an outlet for relaxation and leisure time that many struggle to find in their lives. 

After hearing from other students, I was given a different outlook on whether or not this switch would be beneficial to companies like Netflix and Hulu. Avery Sagl ‘25 believes this would be too drastic a change and could potentially deter viewers, as they don’t expect that of Netflix.

 “I think part of the reason people like Netflix is because seasons come out all at once,” Sagl said. 

Similarly, Tess Donovan ‘25 also thinks it would be a bad decision for streaming services to follow HBO Max in releasing episodes each week. Agreeing with Sagl in the sense that people enjoy Netflix because of its familiarity and ability to binge watch, Donovan believes that there will definitely be mixed opinions from the public based on personal preference. 

Considering HBO Max started off as a streaming service people paid for in addition to cable, the company was able to gain a more exclusive audience; therefore these weekly episodes are what their viewers are used to. After inquiring about what streaming services she primarily utilized, Donovan said, “I definitely use Netflix the most, but lately I have been using HBO Max specifically for ‘Euphoria.’” 

It seems that most viewers of HBO Max use this service to watch specific TV shows that are unavailable on other platforms (like Netflix or Hulu). This is common among many people in this age group, myself included, as HBO Max is a new concept in relation to what we are used to when it comes to streaming different forms of entertainment.