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For decades, TV series fans sat on the sofa, cursing. The tension built on screen, the characters were on the verge of finally kissing, breaking up or being murdered – then the credits rolled.
There was a week’s wait until the next episode of Dallas, Game of Thrones or Friends.
But then streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ put an end to this cliffhanger stress. They put all the episodes online at once – cementing the binge-watching movement that had been growing since the era of DVD box sets.
Yet some providers are moving away from this model. Instead of entire seasons, we are now seeing weekly episodes or split seasons again.
Binge-watching describes the continuous viewing of several episodes or entire seasons often in a single night or over a weekend.
Users immerse themselves completely in the series; the next episode is just a click away.
“It was the great idea behind streaming,” says Marcus S Kleiner, professor of communication and media studies at SRH University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. “I can watch something no matter where I am, what time it is, or how much I want to watch. In other words, a digital land of milk and honey. It was all about my interests, my needs, my individuality.”
The phenomenon reached its peak during the pandemic. Thanks to series such as Squid Game, Bridgerton and The Queen’s Gambit, millions of viewers were online simultaneously in 2020 and 2021, often for days on end.

“On TV, I had to wait a week for the next episode,” Kleiner says. “With streaming services, I had the chance to watch all the episodes of a series in a single weekend. After that, the next series was already waiting for me.” This has had a major impact on viewing behaviour, he adds.
Weekly releases a new/old strategy
Yet many providers are now moving in the opposite direction. Netflix released the final season of Stranger Things last year in two parts, with a break of several weeks between.
Apple TV is showing hits like Severance and Ted Lasso on a traditional weekly schedule. HBO Max does this with hits like The Pitt, Euphoria and Heated Rivalry.
Disney+ also shows one episode per week of its Marvel and Star Wars series.
“This is a completely dysfunctional reversal of the original promise,” Kleiner says. “It doesn’t make any sense at first glance when we’re talking about streaming.”
He suspects that economic considerations are the main driving force behind the new strategy. After all, streaming services can be cancelled on a monthly basis. If a series runs for 10 weeks, the audience stays with it for three months – and keeps paying.
“There is an economic reason for keeping subscriber numbers stable over a longer period. There are more and more options available, so the services are under pressure,” Kleiner says.

There is a second side to this trend: series are likely to remain a topic of conversation for longer again.
Nowadays, people no longer discuss the latest twists and turns in the office in the morning or in the pub in the evening, but online – in fan groups, on Reddit or TikTok.
“Perhaps friends aren’t all up to speed, but the conversation has shifted from private circles to digital communities anyway,” Kleiner says. The weekly model prolongs the debate – and ensures a constant stream of new buzz.
On shows such as Love is Blind or Too Hot to Handle, this principle is systematic. “In this genre, you are heavily reliant on digital distribution for follow-up communication and marketing,” Kleiner says.
Each episode provides fresh material for fan comments, reaction videos or memes. This digital snowball takes time to gather momentum – making it perfect for weekly releases.

Viewers are ambivalent over the experience. On the one hand, the new, old rhythms bring back a sense of anticipation – the shared excitement, the wait for the next twist. On the other, many miss the sense of freedom that comes from binge-watching a series in one go. After all, the “all at once” principle was the liberating break from linear television.
Binge benefits
But Kleiner does not believe the weekly model will be successful in the long term.
“This is currently a zeitgeist movement. They’re testing how successful it is. If they see they can secure at least three months’ subscription fees this way, it will continue. But not across the board.”
He argues that audiences would only accept staggered releases for high-profile, in-demand titles. “But I don’t think the streaming providers will stick with it,” he says.
For now, platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video still largely rely on the familiar all-at-once release model for many productions.
The wedding horror Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and the detective prequel Young Sherlock were recently released in one go.
So the basic principle of streaming remains: viewers can still watch what they want, when they want – just occasionally with a little more patience.


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TV shows and streaming video

Weekly releases vs binge-watching: what will win? How streamers are changing models

Squid Game (pictured), Bridgerton and The Queen’s Gambit are among Netflix’s most-watched series, and drew millions of binge-viewers during the pandemic. But now more streamers are experimenting with a weekly release strategy, such as HBO Max with its hit show The Pitt. Photo: Netflix  

Anya Taylor-Joy in a still from Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. Photo: Netflix

Noah Wyle in a still from The Pitt. HBO Max is releasing new episodes in the series one week at a time. Photo: Warner Bros Television

The whole series of Bridgerton was released at the same time by Netflix. Photo: Netflix

Disney+ K-drama Gold Land: crime thriller with Park Bo-young is polished but lacks urgency

Park Bo-young as security scanner operator Kim Hee-joo in a still from Gold Land, Disney+’s latest Korean drama series. Photo: Disney+

Lee Kwang-soo as gangster Park Ho-cheol in a still from Gold Land. Photo: Disney+

Kim Sung-cheol as gangster underling Jang Wook in a still from Gold Land. Photo: Disney+

Park Bo-young (left) as security scanner operator Kim Hee-joo and Lee Hyun-wook as co-pilot Lee Do-kyeong in a still from Gold Land. Photo: Disney+

HBO Max K-drama Filing for Love: Shin Hye-sun, Gong Myung lead cathartic workplace comedy

Shin Hye-sun as feared corporate executive Joo In-a in a still from Filing for Love, a new Korean drama streaming on HBO Max.

Gong Myung as star auditor Noh Ki-jun in a still from Filing for Love.

Shin Hye-sun and Gong Myung in a still from Filing for Love.

Shin Hye-sun in a still from Filing for Love.

Gong Myung in a still from Filing for Love.

‘Sex is a language in this show’: Heated Rivalry’s Rachel Reid and Jacob Tierney open up

Heated Rivalry director-screenwriter Jacob Tierney and Rachel Reid, whose books are the basis of the series, are pictured in New York on April 18, 2026. The pair talk about the success of the HBO Max show based on Reid’s Game Changers book series, the joy of writing sex scenes and sequels in the works. Photo: Invision/AP

Hudson Williams (left) and Connor Storrie in a still from Heated Rivalry. Photo: HBO Max via AP

Covers of books from Reid’s Game Changers series, including the upcoming novel, Unrivaled. Photo: Carina Press via AP

Reid says that her characters from the Game Changers “keep talking”, so she keeps writing about them. Photo: Invision/AP

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Apple TV and HBO Max are among streamers experimenting with releasing single episodes of series a week, but will the strategy stick?


Netflix

HBO and Max

Disney+

Apple TV

Weekly releases vs binge-watching: what will win? How streamers are changing models

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Apple TV and HBO Max are among streamers experimenting with releasing single episodes of series a week, but will the strategy stick?

Apple TV and HBO Max are among streamers experimenting with releasing single episodes of series a week, but will the strategy stick?