Netflix is considering the unthinkable - and that's getting rid of the ability to binge-watch our favourite shows on release day.
The streaming giant is currently the only major service that unleashes every single one of its episodes at the same time - including prized assets such as The Witcher and Bridgerton.
Even its treasured sci-fi big-hitter Stranger Things dropped its nine episodes in just two bumper instalments.
But this instant gratification could become a distant memory, as Netflix mulls over changing its policy in a bid to reduce subscriber churn.
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Why would Netflix want to release shows weekly?
Basically, if a series is being released weekly, you can't binge it all in one go and bin off your subscription again. Netflix doesn't want you doing that.
All is not lost, however, as the streaming platform does intend to keep the binge-watch option - but only once every episode has aired.
This is according to a new profile of Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings on American news website Puck , which states that Hastings didn't actually want an end to all-at-once releasing ‘but now, it appears, he does'.
Would stopping release-day bingeing actually work?
Entertainment industry legend Bob Lefsetz says Netflix wouldn’t actually be any better off it ditched the binge-all-at-once strategy.
In his news letter , he wrote "This is how the music business got in trouble, by ignoring its customers in search of an ever-growing bottom line”.
These words will ring true for viewers frustrated at Netflix’s willingness to axe well-received shows as they don’t produce significant numbers right off the bat.
This has been the case with numerous of its TV outings, such as The OA, Santa Clarita Diet, GLOW, I Am Not Okay With This, and Designated Survivor.
Even the popular The Sandman series, based on Neil Gaiman’s graphic novels, is far from certain to get a second series.
Why has this all come about?
Audiences have not been clamouring for weekly episodes, it is a move solely being weighed up by Netflix, according to insiders.
Lefsetz writes: "Maybe you’re not paying attention to streaming, but it’s a very dark path these companies are going down.
“Producing less content for more money as they add ads and come to resemble the TV networks of yore, while charging more."
Many viewers will hope that Netflix doesn’t go down the timed-release path, with many enjoying the ability to binge-watch new shows on day of release.
As Lefsetz writes, "in the digital world, in the internet world, you give the people what they want or you die."
What do you think? Do you like the ability to binge-watch shows on the day of release? Or are you happy to wait a week for the next episode? Let us know in the comments below:
