Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Television Movies Entertainment

Disney Is Leading the Charge Against Netflix By Returning To Weekly Episode Releases 129

At Disney's biannual D23 Expo executives revealed that episodes on the upcoming Disney+ streaming service will follow a weekly release schedule, unlike Netflix's binge-able season drops. "A show like the Marvel Cinematic Universe spinoff Loki, which is slated to run approximately six hours (likely meaning six episodes total) will come out over the course of six weeks," reports The Verge. "That's similar to the way Hulu (which is also owned by Disney), Amazon, and HBO Now operate." From the report: But while HBO Now doesn't have streaming exclusives and is tied into HBO's weekly release schedule, Disney and Hulu aren't tied to traditional network schedules. They've voluntarily chosen to release most episodes on a week-to-week basis. (Hulu often releases three episodes at once to kick off a season, then drops to one per week afterward.) Apple is reportedly planning to take the same route when its streaming service, Apple TV Plus, launches this fall.

The weekly release model is a smart move for Disney -- and potentially any new streaming service that's initially focused on building a subscriber base, rather than servicing a demanding, preexisting one. Tying new content to beloved franchises, then doling it out a bit at a time is a way for Disney, in particular, to keep subscribers hooked. When Disney+ launches, people who want to watch all of Jon Favreau's Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, will need to keep their subscriptions active for at least a couple of months. While cord-cutters routinely look for ways to dip in and out of new services, bingeing the content they care about, Disney is looking to keep its initial subscribers stable while adding more throughout the year. The strategy is crucial for Disney to reach its estimated goal of around 10 million customers by the end of 2020.
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Disney Is Leading the Charge Against Netflix By Returning To Weekly Episode Releases

Comments Filter:
  • by ZorinLynx ( 31751 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @09:40PM (#59139494) Homepage

    When you release an episode per week, people will talk about it the day after it airs. A popular show will be the topic of discussion at work the following morning, people will speculate as to what will happen next and everyone is on the same page. People will discuss it online on forums without fear of spoilers if they are caught up.

    Game of Thrones was like this, and it was awesome.

    With a full season release at once, nobody is on the same page. It's harder to talk about the show because of people who haven't seen episodes yet. The experience doesn't last as long.

    I much prefer the weekly episode release model.

    • by Major_Disorder ( 5019363 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @09:54PM (#59139526)

      Game of Thrones was like this, and it was awesome.

      Did you not watch the last season?

      • Six out of eight seasons were well done. Then they ran out of source material. Overall Iâ(TM)d still consider it a great show.
        • Except for the new king and Jamie's total idiot decision Season 8's biggest problem was "they rushed it". More time to develop Dany's resolution would have helped a lot.

          What is the point of what's left of the Wall and the Nightwatch now?

      • Yep, and bitching and complaining about it Monday mornings at work was a great experience. :)

        That's my entire point!

        • by rtb61 ( 674572 ) on Friday August 30, 2019 @12:03AM (#59139794) Homepage

          It's like your living in the last millennium. Nobody, well anybody worth anything, no longer cares about the actors, directors or producers, just entertain me and other than that, well, shut the fuck up.

          Not only do I binge but I will skip seasonal release in preference to a fully completed series, one season generally doesn't cut it, I prefer at least three. No program is that important any more, there is just so much competing content, tens of billions of pages on the internet, thousands of computer games off-line and online, politics is much more fun and entertaining now, all sorts of news floating about and that leaves only a tiny bit left for well, light fluff entertainment.

          To be honest, netflix is often just running in the background to light gaming, paying attention to only the interesting bits. One fucking episode, seriously shove it where the sun don't shine, striking back, the concept is laughable. Disney the latest episodes of 'WHAT', I don't know, seen zero advertisements, I have no idea what content Disney wants to try to sell to me and well, to be honest, no interest, how could I, it no longer exists in my world.

          This article is just another pack of ludicrous bullshit trying to bring back the idiot box with ten minutes of screaming advertisements every twenty minutes, it's a joke, now Disney is trying to pretend like they are special and people love them, what a crock, Disney can crawl into the same hole they dumped star wars in. I have not watched a single episode of any program and I mean ANY program (except news), in years, at least three and probably out to five and that is exactly how little I cared. As far as I am concerned Disney just lost me not even for some months every few years, either they provide full seasons or they can go fuck themselves, done and finished. Prior to Netflix those years before, I bought a season at a time on DVD.

          No matter how insane their psychopathic greed, there is no going back to one episode at a time, interrupted every 20 minutes with 10 minutes of commercials. Seriously show one episode a week and then what don't show it any more to force people to watch that week, hmm, well fuck Disney, I will simply wait at least five years and subscribe for a few months and then wait another five years, as for waffling about actors and tv shite, that crap is so last millennium.

          Right now it seems like a bunch of corporate executives and just sitting in a circle jerk telling each other they are geniuses and we are idiots and suckers and they snort coke and play with each others genitals. I have news for you, Netflix just paid attention to what their where streaming and how they were streaming it and filled that desire. Disney, nah, fuck you, you piece of shit customers, you will watch what I want you to watch, when I want you to watch it and pay through the nose for the privilege and watch commercials, yeah right, fuck off.

          • by west ( 39918 ) on Friday August 30, 2019 @12:21AM (#59139822)

            Good God, I'm really hoping this is performance rage. Because if it is not, then it's a sad statement that the choice to not withhold all the episodes until the last one is finally available is cause for apoplectic ire.

            Just a reminder that it's just possible that real live human beings may have preferences that differ from your own, and businesses choosing to cater to those preferences aren't doing so to spite you personally.

            • by rtb61 ( 674572 ) on Friday August 30, 2019 @03:02AM (#59139992) Homepage

              I clearly spoke for no one else but myself, said nothing about not releasing until season complete, simply said what I prefer. The ire is for the intent, one episode only per week and I know, I am absolutely certain, they will try to push advertisements back in, so yeah fuck them. As for having multiple streaming services at the same time, the idea is also nuts. Clearly the story is a PR=B$ post as are quite a few of the comments. This shite is a silly as, people like to binge, it is far more fun, you watch the characters and stories develop, and I generally watch just one series at a time, unless I want a change in pace of style of content. Silly PR=B$ story placements like this, along with the blatant gaslighting (people absolutely do not want to watch one and only one episode only per week).

              Plus the hard bottom line, how the hell are they going to sell the super special, you will die if you do not watch it series, when I never see video advertisements, reality is most people who pay for streaming no longer see video advertisements, trying to sell me something most streamers don't know exists, talk about delusional.

              PS Star Wars, crappy movies now, why would TV series be any better, who cares (I did not even know Mandalorian existed until today and I still do not care). Suck it up passive video content, compared to the internet as a whole or computer gaming, is no longer the first choice for entertainment but one of the last. If I had to choose between online gaming and a video stream, that video stream is dead, I already own a bunch of content and I am just too lazy to port it to hard disk or get up and change DVDs. Gaslighting stories like this deserve really negative responses.

              • by DRJlaw ( 946416 )

                I clearly spoke for no one else but myself

                That misses the point of the reply - "Nobody, well anybody worth anything, no longer cares about the actors, directors or producers, just entertain me and other than that, well, shut the fuck up." How nice for you. Speaking as someone not worth anything, shut the fuck up.

                "People like to binge, it is far more fun, you watch the characters and stories develop, and I generally watch just one series at a time, unless I want a change in pace of style of content."

                You ca

            • The big question is, Will they staggers each show's "seasons"?

              With the ridiculous number of new streaming services coming out, i foresee a lot of "Subscribe to service X for one month, watch the exclusives you want, drop it and then move to the Service Y, lather, rinse, repeat" and so on and so forth

            • Withold? What are you talking about? If you think the second episode aired is the second one completed, I'm pretty sure you are wrong in most cases. Episodes are generally completed in an order that has more to do with variable cost and guest-star scheduling than their air date. For short series (6-10 episodes) it seems like releasing them all at once makes more sense. Have you not noticed that, when shows are suddenly cancelled in the 4th or so episode, there are usually 5-7 more episodes that have al
            • ... the choice to not withhold all the episodes until the last one is finally available ...

              This phrase makes me think you either have no idea how a series like this is produced, or you just forgot to think it over. Typically they film the various sequences for the various episodes based on scheduling, location, and other factors and then start putting it all together once all the resources are ready. Thus it's actually more likely a matter of _Disney_ withholding episodes that are ready so they can drop one a week, and not the other way around. Netflix just drops the season when it's done rather

              • by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

                ... the choice to not withhold all the episodes until the last one is finally available ...

                This phrase makes me think you either have no idea how a series like this is produced, or you just forgot to think it over. Typically they film the various sequences for the various episodes based on scheduling, location, and other factors and then start putting it all together once all the resources are ready. Thus it's actually more likely a matter of _Disney_ withholding episodes that are ready so they can drop one

            • I think the 'nobody worth anything' remark is being misinterpreted - justly, probably, but I think what he was talking about was economic worth, as in sustainable non-niche business. Or maybe I'm being forgiving because I felt the rest of the post justified some latitude, given the level headedness.
      • Did you not watch the last season?

        If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention. Game of Thrones didn't end the way I would have liked, and probably most of the fans, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good. And in doing so, it avoided most of the tropes you see from traditional fantasy stories where the good guys win, and bad guys lose. It was heart-rending and political, which is exactly what made Game of Thrones special.

        • by aaronb1138 ( 2035478 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @11:18PM (#59139712)
          There is a vast difference between happy ending which no true fan wanted and trash ending. Same as BSG. These are neither series consistent harsh endings, nor fan service. They both reek of poor efforts at the top from idiots unable to finish with intellect, much less grace or honesty.

          GoT left us with dozens of better endings either good ones or bad ones. Similarly so did BSG. Both are lazy endings which are falsy internally consistent.
        • by UnknownSoldier ( 67820 ) on Friday August 30, 2019 @02:43AM (#59139964)

          > Game of Thrones didn't end the way I would have liked, and probably most of the fans, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good.

          GoT Season 8 was total [youtube.com] shit. [youtube.com]

          > It was heart-rending and political, which is exactly what made Game of Thrones special.

          No, it was fucking stupid. Plot Armor is greater then actual armor, magical Dothraki that come back to life, a white horse that magically disappeared, idiotic tactics, Arya "Wire Fu", Daenerys going power crazy over the coarse of ~1 episode, the ability to magically aim and hit at a dragon mid-flight, and a dumb ending worse then Lost. All because Dumb and Dumber rushed it so they could write for Star Wars.

          As they say:

          Danny went East.
          Jon went North.
          Arya went West.
          And the show went South.

          When even the actors are cringing and crying at how bad the writing was then you know that Got 8 was fucking shit.

        • by dasunt ( 249686 ) on Friday August 30, 2019 @02:54AM (#59139982)

          If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention. Game of Thrones didn't end the way I would have liked, and probably most of the fans, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good.

          It wasn't good, and it wasn't due to how it ended. It was due to the declining quality of the writing in the last few seasons.

          Actions stopped having consequences. Example: One character does the in-universe equivalent of blowing up the Vatican, killing a popular queen in the process, and seizes control. Yet there's no uprising, no dissent, nothing.

          Characters start serving the plot, instead of characters driving the plot. Maybe just bad writing, maybe a bad adaptation as characters motivations are cut out, but they end up needing to be in the same place. Their motivations change as needed. You can almost see the books' author giving the show's creator plot points, and the show writers deciding to hit the plot points in succession without really figuring out how to get from one to another.

          Events happen for either the plot, or rule of cool. Is there a weapon that can kill dragons? Depends if the plot requires it. Does the army get wiped out by the White Walkers? Well, apparently so in one episode, but most of them appear to have survived in another. (How did any cavalry survive the charge?) Can twenty good men destroy an army and take zero casualties in the process? Well, if the plot requires it...

          It's just bad writing. Actors were decent, visuals were stunning, even the music was good. But damn, that writing.

          That's what pisses fans off.

        • It's not about being trope-free. It's about honoring the motives, agency, arcs, and progression of your characters. If those push the story into the territory of a 'trope,' well that's OK, because it will feel real and might even give new perspective to the human condition.

          Anyone can write some whacked-out contrivance that 'subverts expectations.' A shart subverts expectations. That doesn't mean anyone appreciates the subversion.
    • It's worth it letting stuff simmer in your brain instead of gorging yourself constantly and not having much room for thought or letting your imagination run with possibilities.

    • by XxtraLarGe ( 551297 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @10:41PM (#59139634) Journal

      When you release an episode per week, people will talk about it the day after it airs.

      I think I'd take a different tack:

      1. 1. Wait until all episodes of the series you're interested in watching have finished
      2. 2. Subscribe for a month
      3. 3. Binge watch
      4. 4. Cancel
      5. 5.???
      6. 6. PROFIT!
      • >"1. Wait until all episodes of the series you're interested in watching have finished"

        These are the same people who don't have enough self-control to maybe watch ONE episode per night of something, much less one week... and you want them to wait a whole 6 weeks for the "season" (and I use that term very quoted, because a "season" used to mean something like 23 hours) to end? :)

        Actually what you suggest is exactly what I would do. Although I would prefer to watch something every couple of nights, since

      • by Merk42 ( 1906718 )
        Yeah just get all your friends / people at work to do the same thing so you can all be on the same page when you talk about it which was GPs point.

        Unless, of course, you have no friends and are unemployed...
      • They know this. Why do you think they're offering a 30% discount on a three year subscription at D23?

    • When you release an episode per week, people will talk about it the day after it airs.

      That certainly used to happen but given that you can always watch the entire back catalogue whenever you want there is no longer any motivation to watch one episode a week at a time some network CEO decided on: just wait until all the episodes are out and watch the season over several evenings all at once so you don't forget the plot. Game of Thrones was a rare exception where it was insanely popular and the spoilers were so significant that everyone tried to watch it as soon as it aired so it could not be

      • When you release an episode per week, people will talk about it the day after it airs.

        That certainly used to happen but given that you can always watch the entire back catalogue whenever you want there is no longer any motivation to watch one episode a week at a time some network CEO decided on: just wait until all the episodes are out and watch the season over several evenings all at once so you don't forget the plot. Game of Thrones was a rare exception where it was insanely popular and the spoilers were so significant that everyone tried to watch it as soon as it aired so it could not be accidentally spoilt for them.

        You have a problem remembering the plot over the course of say 2-3 months? If so, then you have other things to worry about...

        I actually like the one episode per week because for me binging can be destructive...either I waste 2 days watching a whole season of something since I'm hooked, or because say my girlfriend wants to 'cause she's hooked (while I'd rather pause and do something else). Also, you get left wanting when you binge an entire season in a day, and then have to wait a year or six months for th

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • by Merk42 ( 1906718 )

        Why one a week.

        Because that's how a lot of shows are on TV? Any more frequently and it'd become too much for the discussions. given people could be watching multiple different shows.

        Why not one a month or one a day or one a year one every other week or one every 3 days?

        They do have one a year, that's the Star Wars movies

    • westworld really used that good as well.

    • 90-95% of the shows I watch on netflix are series that were released weekly. But that I watch all at once, sometimes several years later.

      I do not think most of what Disney has to offer is Game of Thrones material. It's going to get put on my list of things to watch when i'm bored, and I'll get to it when I have Disney activated for some reason and want to get my monies worth. Then at the end of the month I cut the sub and move to some other publishers streaming website and binge what they have and cut. That

    • Why would I give a shit what people in work watch?
      • Because we are in an awkward phase in our society.

        We still are social creatures that crave communities and people to talk to, but we are also at a point where most interactions are online. Work is one of the last places where we have physical, social interactions with people.

        Shows give us common grounds for talking about something we are interested in. And unlike politics and religion, conversations around TV shows don't end up tearing a team apart followed by trips to HR.

        • Because we are in an awkward phase in our society.

          No we aren't. We're no more awkward than we have ever been. The only difference is we have new and exciting ways to show how awkward we are.

          We still are social creatures that crave communities and people to talk to, but we are also at a point where most interactions are online.

          Speak for yourself. While I certainly use online options my real and important social interactions are face to face with real people. I coach sports teams, I talk to people at work (face to face), I visit family, I have dinner with friends. If I only know or interact with you through social media then we really aren't close. I use email and social media and textin

          • Hold your chin up, sjb!. Don't rate yourself so poorly. The fact that you do all the things you mentioned in your post, means you are much better at social interactions than most people. I was in no way trying to imply that you, sjbe, had the same social limitations as other people.

            Read the posts on this story. What I wrote is fairly typical for slashdotters and the developed world in the general. I can also show you the number of news stories and studies that point to the the same alarming trend of pe

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      They are doing it to encourage people to subscribe for more than a month at a time.

      The other thing I like about Netflix shows is that the episodes are not a fixed run length. A show might be approximately an hour, but the exact run time will vary and you don't get so much filler or awkward pacing just to meet the arbitrary 45 minute requirement or broadcast TV. Also it's a real hour, not 45 minutes + 15 minutes of ads.

      • They are doing it to encourage people to subscribe for more than a month at a time.

        That seems to be backwards. In a release scenario like they are discussing, why would I subscribe for months to watch a few hours of content each week when I can just subscribe once or twice a year for a month and watch all the completed series?

    • Actually it isn't. The only reason Disney is doing this is to prevent transient subscriptions. I.E. people who sign up for 1 month, binge all they want and then cancel for 6-12 months until the next season comes along. HBO experienced this with GoT as people canceled their sub for the 9 months there was no new GoT.

      So in order to keep that sweet sweet subscription money coming in they need to drip feed content.
    • When you release an episode per week, people will talk about it the day after it airs.

      When you release all the episodes people will talk about all of them the day after it airs. What's your point?

      People will discuss it online on forums without fear of spoilers if they are caught up.

      If someone is worried about spoilers I see no reason why that should become someone else's problem. Either watch it in a timely manner or deal with the social consequences if you don't. Making your fear of spoilers someone else's problem is rude. If I don't watch the Superbowl live it would be incredibly selfish of me to expect everyone else to not talk about it until I had a chance to watch it

    • I dropped several streaming services because of this crap, it's precisely why I like streaming. All GoT accomplished was making me wait until it was finished before I would consider watching it, which led to me skipping the last few seasons. Apparently I didn't miss much, but Disney and HBO won't be seeing any of my cash for their services until they fix this.
  • by Empiric ( 675968 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @09:41PM (#59139496)
    Same basic withholding strategy as the "Disney Vault". Shows are more valuable if you are denied them. Trust them on that.
    • by CanadianMacFan ( 1900244 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @11:25PM (#59139724)

      All of the movies from 20th Century Fox, such as the Die Hard series, are about to go into the Vault. Earlier this evening I was reading about an indie movie theatre that was worried what films it was going to show because some of the fan favourites are from 20th Century Fox. Disney bought the parent company of 20th Century Fox earlier this year and so that means the movies are going to go into the vault as per Disney policy. It seems that the only exception, at least mentioned for the theatres, might be the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which this one theatre shows once per month.

      So get any movies that you want from 20th Century Fox soon before Disney makes them "more valuable." I hate that company.

      • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

        You really don't have to stress this much. Piratebay exists for a reason.

        • Or you could refrain from being a giant thieving arsehole and just buy the DVD legally.
          • by stealth_finger ( 1809752 ) on Friday August 30, 2019 @04:00AM (#59140078)

            Or you could refrain from being a giant thieving arsehole and just buy the DVD legally.

            Which they aren't going to sell you. Do you know what the disney vault is? Fuck them. The last thing disney needs is more fucking money.

          • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

            by LenKagetsu ( 6196102 )
            "I want to buy Alien." "No." "I have money." "No." "Look, you have what I want, can make infinite copies, and I have the money you want. Sell me it." "No." "Guess I'm pirating it then." "We're selling it now." "Too late."

            Piracy is always a service problem.
          • Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • Disc Replay and other stores that sell used DVD/BluRays work nice too.

        • Unfortunately it doesn't help the theatre which has formed a community that comes out to watch certain movies, such as Die Hard and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, regularly. Disney won't miss the small amount of money that will be sent to them over this decision but it means a couple nights less work for the employees every month unless a substitute can be found. But it makes the business more risky as the owner said that they knew that they would break even on those nights. They won't know with new movies.

          • Unfortunately, that's the danger of a business based on needing the permissions of another company to run.... she other movies is the only real choice beyond shutting down.

  • How? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by LatencyKills ( 1213908 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @09:43PM (#59139504)
    Is this keeping subscribers hooked? I wait until all episodes of a series have been released, join, binge, quit, and have ingeniously defeated their slow drip release model. Or do they plan to remove episodes the week after they come out?
    • I will do the same thing. I don't know which is more popular, weekly releases or season releases; but having experienced full season binging, I will not go back to weekly waits.

    • Re:How? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Retired ICS ( 6159680 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @09:55PM (#59139530)

      I also wait until the dripping stops and watch the entire season at once. I used to do the same thing with my Tivo. It would happily record all the 'new' episodes so that once the season finale aired I could watch the whole shebang at one go. If I wanted to watch one new episode per week (with adjustments for other interruptions) I would be watching broadcast TV directly and not paying for an "on demand" streaming service.

      Granted, the NetFlix model of new seasons being delayed by two or thee years is somewhat annoying, but no more so than waiting for an entire season to complete before watching it.

      And if the dripping is accompanied by deletion of previous episodes, then screw paying them anything at all since they are adding no value at this point. There are other sources where one can obtain the complete season all at once.

    • About the only concern I would have with doing something like that would be spoilers. If the show is sufficiently popular, you might have to keep an eye out for spoilers.

      • If you can gleen enough "spoilers" to make watching a whole season of a series irrelevant to watch, then I suspect the series was not worth watching in the first place.

        There are some series seasons (and movies) that one can watch only once 40 years ago and remember the whole thing like it was yesterday, 40 years later. And then there is the some (probably the majority), which is very good in the moment, but all recollection (even the title and who was in it) disappears like Chinese food after the next fart

    • Is this keeping subscribers hooked? I wait until all episodes of a series have been released, join, binge, quit, and have ingeniously defeated their slow drip release model. Or do they plan to remove episodes the week after they come out?

      They'll probably move to a monthly model so they can try to hook people for a year with one shitty show they champion.

    • They are counting on the drive many have to "see it as soon as it's released!" so they can discuss it around the watercooler with co-workers or with friends.

      So glad I don't have that disease.

    • I wait until all episodes of a series have been released, join, binge, quit, and have ingeniously defeated their slow drip release model. Or do they plan to remove episodes the week after they come out?

      I assume they overcome this by releasing the series sequentially. Drip The Mandalorian, wait a month, then drip Cassian, wait a couple of months, then drip Obi Wan, then drip MCU shows... Then repeat. I suppose you could subscribe after the MCU shows drop, watch it all, cancel, wait two years and repeat.

  • by R3d M3rcury ( 871886 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @09:53PM (#59139522) Journal

    First, I kind of like this. I'm not much of a binger. I might do a couple of episodes of something at a time but that's about it. It keeps the spoilers down.

    But I'd be curious if they'll all drop on the same day. For example, Monday night is Disney Drop. New episodes of The Mandalorian, Loki, and everything else. Or will they scatter it throughout the week so Monday night would be the Mandalorian, Tuesday night would be Loki, Wednesday night would be something else, etc.

  • by tempo36 ( 2382592 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @10:34PM (#59139618)

    Imagine if there was some sort of service that demanded a monthly fee so that you could watch only one or two shows on the service that you cared about and doled them out slowly so you had to keep your subscription active. There could be a whole bunch of different services, each with one or two worthwhile shows, and every one of them would charge their own fee. I bet everyone would love paying the monthly fee to watch a single show. Maybe eventually they could even start to bundle together these "channels" so that people had to buy things they didn't really want in order to get the things they did want.

    We would need a name for it...like...Ca...ble? I'm sure everyone will love the model and be excited to maintain all their separate subscriptions.

    • by Altus ( 1034 )

      Pretty much every streaming service other than Netflix does this and Netflix gets away with it because they have a ton of original content that has, in the past, kept people subscribed. Now that content is being spread out among a number of services the temptation would be to subscribe for the show you want and then cancel, so better make sure that show takes 3 months to air and best to have another appealing show queued up to keep subscribers onboard.

      CBS did it with STD, DC universe has done it with the 3

  • by djbckr ( 673156 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @10:42PM (#59139640)
    I've been watching the Jessica Jones series off-and-on for several weeks now. Sure I could binge. I don't know why "dropping" weekly is a big deal. If you want to watch one per week, just do it.
    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      They are hoping that you will subscribe to see new episodes as they are released so you can discuss them at work/school the next day, rather than subscribing for just one month and binge watching the whole series.

    • If you will forgive me for intentionally swapping quoting you ...

      > If you want to watch one per week, just do it.

      Most people don't have that kind of self control. :-/ Especially now that most streaming sites have "auto-play next episode in X seconds."

      > I don't know why "dropping" weekly is a big deal.

      It's always about greed and not respecting your time.

      Some (Many?) people sign up for a service, binge watch, then cancel. By having weekly content the streaming execs are trying to have less "churn" as t

  • Disney is hoping people will subscribe month after month after month to discourage people from paying for 1 month, binging season within that month, and then canceling.

    It's about the recurring revenue.

    • The other side of the equation is that they can see how well shows are doing and cancel them after only a few episodes if they don't have the viewing numbers. Why pay for a season when you can sack all the cast and crew after only three or four episodes?
    • Which is silly if the service is 7 or 8 dollars like I had read earlier. It will be like gyms and most other memberships: most people will forget to cancel is the fee is low enough.

      I still have an active animation subscription that I got when I was looking for dubbed copies of Attack on Titan that I have never canceled. It's 3 or 4 dollars a month but I haven't been on the website for almost 6 months.

  • All releasing stuff weekly does is stretch out subscribers slightly longer before they cancel.

    If you don't have a lot of great content people will just wait until the last episode is released, then subscribe, binge, and cancel.

    What Disney+ has ACTUALLY done to increase retention, is to plan a lot of compelling content with a good back catalog, but then also charge a very reasonable price for no-ad viewing. That is the way to get retention. I'm taking the three year D23 deal myself as it's so cheap that wi

    • I'm taking the three year D23 deal myself as it's so cheap that with a discount it would be insane not to subscribe ahead of time for a long timeframe.

      Don't, just don't send the message to disney that these are ok business practices.

    • Thanks for pointing that deal out. Signing up now for it.

  • by fafalone ( 633739 ) on Thursday August 29, 2019 @11:05PM (#59139692)
    Obviously from the company's perspective, it keeps people talking about the show for months instead of a week.
    But even from a consumer perspective... last month when Stranger Things was released, I felt enourmous pressure to binge it. Having to avoid half the internet to avoid spoilers, knowing any discussion of it would be basically over a week later... just couldn't do anything besides watch it all as fast as I could. It doesn't matter for shows below that level of popularity, but for the extremely popular shows, I think a weekly format is better. Anyone who is determined to binge can just do so after the season finishes airing.
    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      I find that Netflix shows are generally better for not seeing spoilers online than for shows with a weekly release schedule. With the latter the assumption seems to be that everyone saw it when it was broadcast, but people are more conscious that everyone is at a different stage with Netflix shows.

      • I haven't really thought about it, but that's an interesting point. I honestly stopped caring about spoilers because I've realized that if something is well-made, spoilers don't really ruin my enjoyment of it. Some years ago, I had the ending to one of the seasons of Breaking Bad "spoiled" for me, but when I watched the actual episode even though in the back of my mind I knew how it would end, I didn't care because it was so well crafted that I was caught up in the performances.

        There are probably a lot o
    • But even from a consumer perspective... last month when Stranger Things was released, I felt enourmous pressure to binge it. Having to avoid half the internet to avoid spoilers, knowing any discussion of it would be basically over a week later... just couldn't do anything besides watch it all as fast as I could.

      That is a you problem. If you have a problem with spoilers then it is quite rude to make that someone else's problem. Watch it when it drops if it's that important to you but if you really feel social pressure then you need to get some backbone and perspective. If I don't watch the Superbowl live it would be unreasonable for me to expect nobody to talk about the score until I watch it. Same with whatever fictional drama you happen to give a shit about. If you feel pressure to binge watch then that is y

      • That's why it should be weekly, because it is indeed unreasonable to expect other people to not talk about it. But posting it all at once has the problem of inverting your Superbowl problem; the
        And people don't lack backbone and perspective just because they want to avoid spoilers and discuss a television show socially. You kidding with that bullshit? You're incredibly antisocial for thinking it's completely unacceptable to like discussing shows where everyone is on the same page. And *you* need perspecti
        • Part of that first sentence got truncated; meant to say '1% that have seen it ruin it for the 99% that haven't.'
  • Sorry Disney. I don't tolerate games like this.

    I'll either torrent it from the neighbor's wifi, or most likely, not watch your crap content at all.

    Some companies will never learn.

    • "I'll either torrent it from the neighbor's wif" You don't sound like someone they would want to sell too anyway. A dishonest theif, your mother must be so proud of you.
      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        "I'll either torrent it from the neighbor's wif" You don't sound like someone they would want to sell too anyway. A dishonest theif, your mother must be so proud of you.

        Yours must be proud to, not only can you not spell you also don't know what basic words mean.

        • Yours must be proud to, not only can you not spell you also don't know what basic words mean.

          Well, hello there Kettle, nice to see you met Pot.

    • What game are you talking about? Releasing shows on a weekly schedule? Because that is what this article is about and you never gave more context on the lesson that companies need to learn

      • by Merk42 ( 1906718 )
        The lesson is, if it's not offered to me in exactly the way I want* then I'm entitled to it for free for some reason.


        * this is intentionally vague so I can keep moving the goalpost.
  • About Time (Score:5, Funny)

    by Kplx138 ( 2523712 ) on Friday August 30, 2019 @02:27AM (#59139952)

    I was so sick of having the choice of how I consumed streaming media. Thankfully Disney is here to take that freedom from me and take my money. You'd be silly not to sign up

  • Only with some of the Asian shows I watch right now though.
  • by renegade600 ( 204461 ) on Friday August 30, 2019 @04:44AM (#59140152)

    got so used to binging shows that it would be hard to go back. besides the real motive in weekly episode releases is to keep users from subscribing, binge watch their shows, then cancel. then they will start the cycle again next season.

    • got so used to binging shows that it would be hard to go back. besides the real motive in weekly episode releases is to keep users from subscribing, binge watch their shows, then cancel. then they will start the cycle again next season.

      Which is a dumb approach, since if you keep the price low enough, people will not cancel. If I'm paying say $10 a month for Netflix, I don't care if there are three months during which I watch nothing. It's cheap enough, paying $120 a year is value enough for the few shows and movies I want to watch. $10 is an insignificant amount in my monthly budget, it's something one spends in like 5 minutes at the convenience store...

      If they want to stop people from cancelling and resubscribing all the time, they shoul

    • Did that happen every year with HBO for Game of Thrones? I know a bunch of people canceled after the FINAL episode but did this happen every season?

  • The real reason: (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Daemonik ( 171801 ) on Friday August 30, 2019 @08:31AM (#59140494) Homepage

    In my opinion, the real reason they're turning to a weekly model is it's the only way you can possibly make a 6 episode "season" of a show seem longer than it actually is.

    With show runs getting shorter and shorter, they'll soon be able to stream a show via Tweet.

    • by leonbev ( 111395 )

      This is true, ya know. Back in the 90's, a season of something like Star Trek would have 26 episodes. Your average Netflix season only has 12 episodes of a show, and CBS All Access isn't any better.

  • Well, then I'll just wait until all episodes of a specific series have been published before activating another months subscription, watch the series and cancel it again.. Comeon, weekly basis? It ain't f-ing tv...
  • The strategy is crucial for Disney to reach its estimated goal of around 10 million customers by the end of 2020.

    Disney has more money than god and something like 100 years of marketable film and television programming.in its vaults. When the studio moves into new media it dominates. B/W TV with ABC and Disneyland. Color TV with move to NBC. Cable. VHS. DVD. Blu-Ray...

"What man has done, man can aspire to do." -- Jerry Pournelle, about space flight

Working...