Binge-Watching

The Rise of On-Demand Viewing

Binge-watching, also known as binge-viewing, is a viewing habit that was popularized and enabled by the rise of streaming services in the 21st century. Platforms like Netflix began releasing entire seasons of their original series at once, breaking from the traditional weekly release schedule of broadcast television. This, combined with the availability of DVD and Blu-ray box sets, gave viewers unprecedented control, allowing them to watch a story unfold at their own pace, often consuming many hours of content in a single session.

Binge-Watching and Film Franchises

While the term originated in television, the binge-watching mindset has profoundly impacted how audiences engage with movie franchises. It is now common practice for fans to ‘binge’ an entire film series in preparation for a new installment. Before the release of a new Marvel movie, a fan might watch all the preceding films in chronological or release order to refresh their memory and build excitement. This turns a series of standalone releases into a single, long-form narrative experience.

Major film sagas that are popular for binge-watching include:

• The Harry Potter series
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy
• The Star Wars saga
• The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

Impact on Storytelling and Marketing

This shift in viewing habits has had a noticeable effect on the film industry:

• Storytelling: When creating serialized franchises, filmmakers can now rely on the likelihood that audiences will have recently watched the previous films. This allows for more complex, long-form storytelling, with plot points and character arcs that carry across multiple movies, trusting that the audience is up to speed.
• Marketing: Studios and streaming platforms actively encourage binge-watching. They bundle film series together in digital libraries and use features like ‘auto-play next’ to facilitate a seamless viewing marathon. Promoting a film series as ‘binge-able’ has become a key marketing strategy to attract and retain subscribers.