The Great British Baking Show releasing weekly on Netflix US
You may have seen a report recently that Netflix is abandoning the binge model. This is simply not the case as we’re going to set out today and explain why the examples given in the report are exceptional circumstances.
The report comes from Comicbook.com, and further reporting from the likes of Complex, that states “Netflix Abandons Binge Model for Week to Week Episodes on Multiple Shows” but sadly, this is far from the truth.
Netflix has had weekly episodes for multiple years with several types as we’ll run through now.
One of the examples given is Netflix’s recent pickup of The Great British Baking Show in the US with weekly episodes. It goes onto state that it “is the first program to get the updated weekly treatment.”. This is categorically not true.
First up, the two examples are hardly the only two titles currently getting weekly episodes.
In the United States alone right now, it’s getting weekly episodes of the following:
- Arthdal Chronicles (new episodes Saturdays)
- Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (new episodes Sundays)
- Rookie Historian GooHae-Ryung (new episodes Wednesdays)
Across the world, they also get weekly episodes. Right now in the UK for example, they’re getting weekly episodes of (including those listed above):
In fact, Netflix has been getting weekly episodes for years now.
Back in 2016, Netflix released weekly episodes of its new talk show Chelsea. It’s subsequently done the same with My Next Guest with David Letterman, The Break with Michelle Wolf, The Joel McHale Show and literally dozens of other pickups around the world.
The reality is that Netflix has been releasing weekly episodes for at least three years. The reasons are for multiple reasons. In the case of The Great British Baking Show, it’s likely because the series is time-sensitive and makes more sense in a weekly format.
All big series pegged for later this year are all, without exception, scheduled for complete season drops.
Netflix experiments with its release schedules mainly for international distribution deals and reality and talk shows where the format makes the most sense.
Netflix has since waded into the discussion to pretty much reiterating what we’ve stated above saying:
The weekly release of licensed titles (like Great British Baking Show) isn’t new and in hopes of keeping Rhythm + Flow’s winner a surprise, we’re trying something new! but not happening with more shows than that
In conclusion, nothing is new in this report and is frankly, not worthy of the ComicBook name.
