Disney+'s WandaVision is a popular American television series based on Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision— both are Marvel Comics characters. Having launched one of the more popular streaming services on the market, the TV miniseries saw a slower release than expected. That is, WandaVision was released in weekly doses instead of all at once. This move shies away from the all-at-once binge TV model that has been popular over the years and since then, services like Netflix have dominated broadcasts for their affordability, convenience, and content availability. \
Disney+'s WandaVision switched to a weekly release schedule in order to maximize the impact of the show, but also allow for healthier, non-binging patterns for viewers.
Image Credit: Marvel Studios
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Slow Release TV Shows
- TV networks can explore the possibility of releasing shows weekly instead of all at once to maximize the impact and encourage healthy viewing habits amongst viewers.
- Anti-binge-watching TV Schedules
- TV services and networks can adopt a strategy to release content in small doses over a period of time to discourage binge-watching and promote healthier viewing habits for viewers.
- Episodic TV Releases
- TV networks can leverage the power of anticipation by releasing shows in a serialized format, attracting viewers who prefer episodic content and building a strong fan base that will keep them coming back for more.
Where This Applies
- Streaming Services
- Streaming services can experiment with releasing content gradually to keep viewers engaged and prevent high subscriber churn rates.
- Broadcast Television
- Broadcast TV networks can adopt a new approach of releasing shows in episodic format to attract viewers who prefer slower-paced, serialized storytelling.
- Advertising Industry
- The advertising industry has an opportunity to craft different advertising strategies for episodic TV releases that require different engagement methods rather than the usual binge-watching ads.
