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from the just-one-more-episode...and-then-the-sun-comes-up dept.
The increasing popularity of global media content like American TV series has been considered as one notable factor associated with binge-watching practices, or continuously consuming media content in a single session.
With the massive global expansion of streaming platforms like Netflix—which had more than 154 million subscribers in over 190 countries in 2019—this practice of marathon viewing of televised content has gradually become a "new ritual" for many viewers.
But not without a price.
Indeed, an American Academy of Sleep Medicine survey in 2019 found 88% of American adults reported a lack of sleep due to binge-watching television and streaming series.
As the use of online streaming services to consume televised content is becoming more common globally, the problem of binge-watching behavior may also become a global phenomenon.
[...] It is inevitable that binge-watching has become a new normal among today's audiences. Yet, given the negative health ramifications associated with it, can we move beyond that? We could try savoring one episode at one time in a slow watching practice.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 14 2020, @03:55PM (4 children)
Here, in the last bit:
Back in the broadcast era, viewers had no choice. They had to watch the show at the pace of one a week, whether they wanted to do so or not, because that was how the broadcasters presented the episodes. Had the broadcasters offered an "every episode back to back" offering, folks years ago would also have binged..
And why is this so? Largely because of the way the episodes were designed. In the never ending pursuit of ratings, one got one of two offerings:
Both techniques were (and still are) employed by the broadcasters, because they know a week is a long time, and if they don't leave viewers with that teaser, some number of them will forget to tune in next week. So nearly every show does it in various different amounts, with the result that they play right into addictive personalities intentionally.
So it is no wonder that when the shows arrive on Netflix, where there is no artificial wait a week timing imposed, and where Netflix simply automatically starts playing the next show without the viewer doing anything, that folks would start to binge. It is just a natural outcome of the design of the episodes from the standpoint of "drag the viewer back next week" and the release from the artificial weekly delay between each episode.
If Netflix's UI simply played to the end of an episode, then returned to the show listing, with the current episode that ended highlighted, forcing a watcher to pick up the remote, pick the next show, and hit play, things would probably be quite a bit different. Just that tiny amount of friction of pick up remote, move to next episode, press play, would be enough to break some out of the habit. Not everyone naturally, but it would be just enough of a breakpoint that some folks would think "hmm, maybe I should go to bed instead".
(Score: 2) by Rupert Pupnick on Friday February 14 2020, @05:51PM
On my streaming system, when you reach the end of an episode, a press of the pause button ends the current episode, but launches the next one. To disengage you have either kill the power, switch to another TV input, or press pause a second time (or home).
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Friday February 14 2020, @06:06PM (2 children)
My Netflix has a configuration option where you can specify not to automatically start the next episode.
I have to ask to see it if I want to.
My Crave subscription (another streaming service here) automatically goes episode to episode without pause unless I explicitly stop it.
I much prefer the Netflix model. But it took some effort to find that configuration option.
Why do the streaming services want us to binge-watch? If I were paying separately for each episode that might make sense. But they're getting the same monthly subscription fee whether I stay glued to the TV or not. And every episode I watch probably costs them resources.
-- hendrik
(Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Friday February 14 2020, @07:57PM (1 child)
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Friday February 14 2020, @08:35PM
I see. I'm not the customer Crave is aiming for.
I subscribe to Crave because there are specific things I want to watch and they happen to be on Crave. Specifically, at the moment, Dr. Who and Picard. And I always stop after an episode, even if I plan to watch the next episode soon.
But Netflix does cater to my kind of customer. They seem content to let me watch what I've chosen.
They're not as pushy as Crave either, which I appreciate. There's very little that Crave tries to push onto me that I'm actually interested in.