Think it only takes one episode to decide whether you’ll binge watch the entire series? The research says you’re wrong.
According to numbers crunched by Netflix, each series has a crucial “hooked episode,” and it’s never the pilot.
“Given the precious nature of primetime slots on traditional TV, a series pilot is arguably the most important point in the life of the show,” Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement. “However, in our research of more than 20 shows across 16 markets, we found that no one was ever hooked on the pilot.”
Netflix found that once viewers watched the pivotal episode, 70 percent went on to watch the series all the way through to the finale. The episode varied by series. Breaking Bad viewers were hooked by episode two, while Orange is the New Black fans didn’t commit until episode three.
The findings offer an interesting look at fandom, at a time when more TV programming than ever is competing for viewers’ attention. The study suggests that the Netflix model of releasing a season (versus an episode) all at once has a higher likelihood of hooking and keeping viewers.
The binge-watching model has certainly been successful for Netflix. The streaming giant is expected to attract a larger audience than any major broadcast network in 2016, but whether other streaming companies will follow suit remains to be seen.
