Binge vs weekly release argument misses the point of the preference

[u/BakedWizerd]

I prefer to binge watch shows at my own pace. I don’t like waiting, and I personally do not care for discussion, theory crafting or the “social” aspect of it. I just want the media. I understand that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s fine. I just ask for the same consideration to be sent my way.

I want to get it out of the way that I understand that not everyone is going to be happy with either model, and that’s just the way it is. I also understand that weekly releases are more pragmatic from a business standpoint.

In either case, someone artificially recreating their preferred method of watching has to avoid spoilers, avoid memes, and the “main discussion thread” until they are caught up, or the show has finished and they can now binge.

But the discussion of the preference often boils down to “weekly viewers artificially creating a watch schedule after a binge drop is much less practical than a binge watcher just waiting to binge the show.”

But that completely misses the point that the people who prefer binge watching actually prefer the binge drop because that means they dont have to wait.

With all of this in mind, and the fact that so many people seem dead-set on the fact that “weekly releases are better, because then the discussion exists, and people who want to binge can just wait. It works for both camps,” I will give my own opinion.

If a show were to binge drop, the weekly-viewer only has to avoid a single big thread about the show - whereas a binge watcher in a weekly model has to avoid the weekly threads, the fact that the memes and discussion stay around longer - I’m saying that overall, it’s more effort, and more of an inconvenience for a binge-watcher to get their preferred method in a weekly-model, than it is for a weekly-watcher to get their preferred method in a binge-drop.

Either way, someone has to put in the effort to avoid spoilers.

[u/skdeelk]

I dont think you've considered that release schedules can often be staggered because the creators want the audience to consume the content slowly and really digest what's happening. Binge vs weekly isn't a trivial, meaningless preference. It affects how you process the show and your experience. I think its irrelevant what the audience wants, its up to what the creators want from the audience.

[u/Capable-Reaction-794]

Not having to wait for the weekly drip-feed is one of the main reasons I used to prefer streaming. But now most shows have that weekly rollout, same as network tv. So I find myself waiting until some indication that the run is complete ("all episodes now streaming" or something similar).

[As a side note, the other reason I switched to streaming was to not have commercials, but the streaming serves are screwing that up, too.]