Disney+ is experiencing the release schedule on its platform and it has been successful so far.
Disney+ has successfully adopted a weekly-release-schedule episode strategy instead of letting viewers binge-watching strategy like Netflix with its booming series WandaVision and lining up next with the Falcon and Winter Soldier series. This strategic move makes sense for Disney+ for the following reasons:
Weekly (or daily) schedules build up habits and fan bases. The fan will have in-depth discussions and they will theorize on social forums. Hence, they will more likely to engage deeply in the show.
The weekly schedule helps with the content, too. Tight episode construction + careful maintenance of suspense = mystery. And mystery lends itself well in the waiting game.
It is a differential factor in comparison to its competitor Netflix. Netflix style is about “bingeness”, which is more suitable for immersive long-form TV like “The Queen’s Gambit” and the visual equivalent of page-turner novels, like “Bridgerton.”
All in all, spreading out a season into two or three months can allow a show to build its own word-of-mouth charisma. Disney execs know this and they play it very well.
Food for thought: Is Disney an entertainment and media company with a streaming service or a streaming service company that sells Mickey Mouse hats?
This question becomes serious when you consider that the new Disney CEO has changed its org structure in a major way to make streaming a “primary focus”. To quote from CNBC: “In order to further accelerate its direct-to-consumer strategy, the company will be centralizing its media businesses into a single organization that will be responsible for content distribution, ad sales, and Disney+.” (2)
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Source:
(1) Wall Street Journal: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/arts/television/binge-wandavision-falcon-and-winter-soldier.html
(2) CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/12/disney-reorganizes-to-focus-on-streaming-direct-to-consumer.html