Netflix and binge-watching go hand-in-hand. The streaming service is known for releasing all the episodes for most of its TV shows at once - and viewers watching episode after episode in one sitting.
However, this model could be changing for Netflix with new streaming services, such as Disney+, entering the market.
Some predict that there could be a return to the traditional method of watching an episode a week, bringing an end to the binge-watching era.
Others say that Netflix will stick to its guns, though, and keep its users binge-watching their favourite shows.
The Claim
Wired's Victoria Turk reports that " the era of binge-watching TV series could be coming to an end ".
She says that "a return to appointment viewing" could be on the cards for Netflix, Disney+, and other streaming services.
For instance, in August, Disney said it would release shows on a weekly basis on the new Disney+ service.
This move from Disney+ is likely to be a business strategy that means people keep their subscriptions longer.
Tom Harrington, a senior research analyst in broadcasting, told Wired: "If they have it all available at once and have a free trial, people will have watched everything by the time the free trial ends."
Drip-feeding episodes in the traditional way also helps TV shows stay in the cultural conversation for longer.
Turk explains: "Think of BBC's Bodyguard, which stayed in the news - and at the top of ratings - across the six weeks it aired.
"Netflix's top hits, such as Stranger Things, generally enjoy a shorter time in the media spotlight."
The Counterclaim
However, Forbes' Paul Tassi says that Netflix will not release more episodes weekly, instead of "binge-dropping" .
The streaming service responded to recent headlines about its model, saying that multiple series were already being released on a week-by-week basis.
Tassi writes: "In reality, what's happening is that some of its licensed shows, it gives The Great British Baking Show [how Bake-Off is known in the US] as an example, have always been released weekly due to the terms of its licensing deals."
He reports that Netflix has "no larger plans to switch" its model to weekly releases for its other programming.
While he is sceptical whether dropping all episodes at once is a good idea, the streaming service is not going to change its model.
Tassi concludes: "People love binging, and while I don't think it works for every kind of show, it seems Netflix wants to stick with it indefinitely, no matter what their competition is doing."
The Facts
Following Disney's announcement that it will release shows on a weekly basis, IGN conducted a poll about people's viewing habits on streaming services. It found that 69 per cent of respondents preferred to watch content all at once, rather than weekly.
According to research from Ofcom , Britain is becoming a "binge-watching nation". The regulator's Communications Market Report in 2017 showed that eight in 10 adults - or 40 million people - use catch-up services, like BBC iPlayer, or streaming services, like Netflix, to watch multiple episodes in one sitting.
It also found that 35 per cent of Britons binge-watch TV series every week and more than half (55 per cent) do it monthly.
In the United States, Morning Consult and the Hollywood Reporter conducted a similar poll last year. The survey revealed that most young adults are binge-watching TV shows with nearly three-quarters of 18 to 24-year-olds (73 per cent) watching two or more consecutive episodes at least once a week.
Overall, 60 per cent of US adults, who watch shows on demand, binge-watch every week, while 15 per cent of viewers binge-watch every day and over a quarter (28 per cent) do it several times a week.
