Millions of people around the world have traded or supplemented their cable choices with streaming services such as Netflix. The amount of people who pay for cable subscriptions seems to be dwindling. It is no secret that people can experience a preoccupying loop of binge-watching television. Some of the most addicting aspects of television are mitigated by the unintentional constraints of cable. On streaming sites, viewers can peruse hundreds of episodes and movies at their disposal that many times can be watched to completion at any point which is not possible on cable.
The ease of access that streaming provides encourages binge-watching tendencies because of the variety of unrestrained options. When people watch their favorite shows through cable, they often wait for each episode to come out weekly. Through streaming, people have access to usually multiple batches of episodes at once (if not the entire series). Once someone watches one episode, they will likely continue watching another whereas cable does not usually offer that rapid continuation.
Families and friends can bond over television and films. The shared experience of waiting for the upcoming episode to be released and watching it together on just one device can increase togetherness. Sharing a favorite show with someone can also be a point of similarity that brings a friendship closer together. This year’s season of The Bachelor seemed to be particularly popular. One of the reasons that I believe people tuned in was because they were missing that feeling of community that watching a show with friends as it is being released for the first time weekly brings.
The customization that streaming offers in terms of the viewing experience and the ability to skip around episodes or fast forward has likely resulted in many people not experiencing the entirety of a show. On cable, if an episode is being released the first time you watch it you usually can’t skip through or fast-forward the show. When streaming a show, viewers can skip large portions of dialogue or even skip to the end of the show to spoil the ending for themselves. For movie reviewers, this likely speeds up the process as they can review pivotal points of a show multiple times very easily.
One of the grapples many people encounter with streaming sites is how original shows will be canceled without a second season. This leaves intrigued fans with unanswered questions about the incomplete plot lines. Once you are invested in a show and drawn into the development of the stories and characters it can be disappointing to have to leave things open-ended.
The flexibility of being able to watch shows whenever and the individualized recommendations are definitely benefits of utilizing streaming sites. Some of my favorite shows are ones that are now only available on streaming platforms. While I will continue to enjoy the on-demand access to entertainment that those sites offer, I will be wistful for the days when everyone would gather around the TV awaiting the start time of their favorite show.