HBO’s Game of Thrones spin-off is another series that streaming services will release in weekly instalments rather than all at once.
House of the Dragon, released locally by Binge and Foxtel on Monday, is a hit so far, with millions of viewers internationally on the eve of its release.
But fans will have to be patient, with episodes of the highly anticipated series sticking to an ‘appointment TV’ schedule, meaning episodes will be released weekly.
Though the concept of ‘binge-watching’ is almost synonymous with streaming platforms, House of the Dragon is not alone in taking the traditional release route; seasons of shows such as Stranger Things 4 and WandaVision have also been released to viewers in regular instalments, or in parts.
Amanda Lotz, professor at Queensland University of Technology Digital Media Research Centre, said appointment TV has always had a strong presence on streaming platforms.
History dictates release tactics
Although most streaming platforms produce their own content, they also distribute content available on regular television channel – which means they have to stick to traditional release schedules.
Examples include House of the Dragon and Better Call Saul, which are televised on US-based HBO and AMC channels, respectively.
The appointment TV-style release of original online productions, such as Disney+’s slate of Marvel series, may also stem from some streaming providers’ roots, Dr Lotz said.
‘‘Netflix is born-digital, and one of its big disruptions when it started launching original series was to drop the full season,’’ she said.
‘‘Services like Disney, Warner, or HBO … those are all companies that have historically made content for linear television. So they, unsurprisingly, are sticking more to those old logics.’’
Patrick Kelly, senior lecturer in media and communications at RMIT University, said the decision to release every episode of a show at once or periodically could also be based on a series’ content and audience-size.
‘‘There’s always going to be a different model that’s going to be appropriate for different shows,’’ Dr Kelly said.
‘‘Obviously the big HBO series, like House of the Dragon, and other shows like Better Call Saul, [have] edge of your seat, cliffhanger moments at the end of episodes which really are appropriate for a weekly model.’’
Other shows, with shorter running times and lacking the large fan bases that guarantee high viewership numbers, are more suited to instant releases, Dr Kelly said.
Streaming audiences split
Dr Lotz said viewers will continue to see a mix of binge-worthy series dumps and episodic releases, as streamers make decisions based on customer demand.
‘‘The thing that streaming provided was the ability for consumers to decide at what pace, and when, they wanted to view,’’ she said.
‘‘Often, that didn’t mean that they were watching 10 episodes at a time, it meant that they were watching a television show in the way that they had read books, or had listened to albums.
‘‘They were picking what they wanted, when they want it, and working their way through.’’
As with anything, Dr Kelly said people have different preferences when it comes to how they want shows to be released.
A glance at the most popular shows available for streaming, as named by FlixPatrol, shows a mix of ready-to-binge and slow-release series.
Although some prefer the instant rush of having a whole season instantly available for their viewing pleasure, others prefer drawn-out releases that create an ‘event’, and give everyone a chance to watch and discuss without risk of accidentally giving spoilers.
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‘‘When things are all put out in one release for a whole season, there’s often frustration when you’re wanting to chat to your friends about what’s happening in a particular TV show, and you need to wait for the last person to watch it before you get to discuss it in too much detail,’’ Dr Kelly said.
He said weekly releases of shows with a ‘local’ element, such as RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, also provide an opportunity for people to gather in each other’s homes or bars and foster a sense of community, much like watching the AFL.
