Is the way we watch Netflix changing?
The days of the binge-watch may not necessarily be done, but a new Netflix press release suggests that there might be more patterns of behavior to study.
At one time or another, if you have access to a Netflix subscription, you have probably done a binge-watch of a show. What exactly is defined as a binge-watch may differ from person to person, but Netflix, bless its heart, is trying to quantify the different kinds of viewing behavior in its review of 2017 and what its subscribers did with access to its library in a new press release.
What sticks out most, though, is that Netflix has come up with its own terminology to further quantify how exactly people watch its shows. For example, apparently The Crown is the most “savored” show, which means that for the most part, people don’t watch more than about two hours at a time. However, Riverdale and American Vandal are among the shows that people “devour,” where the norm is instead to watch two or more hours at once. That’s more like the common definition of binge-watching.
It doesn’t seem like “dark” shows were really non-devoured, either — The Keepers qualifies on that list, but then you see Mindhunter and Ozark on the “savor” side of the equation. Without hard numbers, it’s tough to tell if this qualifies as a full-blown sea change in how people approach watching content on Netflix.
Finally, for those wondering why Star Trek: Discovery appears on this list, non-Americans watch it on Netflix, not CBS All Access. Ditto with Riverdale and The CW.
All in all, though, the trends of Netflix’s streaming shows for this year trend toward the dark, as we’ve already mentioned (see 13 Reasons Why making it onto the “devour” list) but also to the irreverent comedy of shows like Big Mouth (a “savor” show, which means it’s missed the opportunity for some prime joking).
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What were your must-watches on Netflix this year? For this writer, it was The Keepers — yes, even more than Stranger Things or Frontier.