For a long time, Netflix had a monopoly on streaming and its practices. It must be said that the American company stood out by offering a rather unique viewing model: all episodes of the same series are posted online at the same time. No need to wait until Sunday. A model that has been criticized by some and applauded by others, but one thing is clear: it paved the way for its competitors.
Disney+, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+… it’s impossible for a common person to find themselves in this ocean of platforms and subscribe to all of them. Therefore, there is a fierce competition between these streaming giants, who try to compete with some in terms of quality (Netflix) or offer a catalog of more punctual but critically acclaimed products (Apple TV +).
So what is the solution? Because the hour is serious for Netflix. If the company is having trouble finding subscribers, its main goal is not to lose out to the competition. And with upcoming tightening of account sharing, the bleeding is likely to be significant. Despite new cheap offers (with ads) that will allow a small budget to subscribe.
Divide and rule
But the binge-watching model is hurting Netflix in its new goals. Because a subscriber interested in the program can pay for the first month, watch what they are interested in, then cancel immediately. Therefore, the strategy decided by Netflix is the following: divide its series into several parts.
The company has done this sporadically, but the practice seems to extend to almost every popular title: La Casa de Papel, Lucifer, Ozark, Stranger Things, Manifest, and most recently You. Sometimes the wait is several weeks, sometimes several months. Which may annoy some people who come to Netflix just to watch it once to avoid spoilers.
Other platforms also did not wait to popularize this practice. Disney+ first. His strategy now is slightly different from his big Marvel and Star Wars performances. Subscribers can discover 2 or even 3 episodes on the first day, but the next ones will be posted weekly. A system that doesn’t seem to be unhappy because the deal was struck from the start.
Another advantage is also commercial. This helps generate more online discussions. For example, each episode of House of Dragon (available on OCS in France) was talked about on social networks, which helped to make the HBO series popular and people wanted to watch it to understand its success. With the oversized watch model, this “noise” fades away pretty quickly, even if everyone is moving at the desired pace.
The future will tell if Netflix wants to maintain this strategy for all of its big productions. And the next series in his mind is the Witcher.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
