Will HBO, Apple and Disney bring back weekly viewing?

Weekly television viewing has begun to fade, but new streaming services in HBO Max, Apple TV+ and Disney+ could be bringing it back.

“Binging” television shows following the release of an entire season has become commonplace for many viewers, but it certainly seems the “old-fashioned’ weekly model is making a comeback.

HBO Max announced that when it launches in May 2020, it will employ a one-episode-at-a-time approach. This isn’t entirely surprising, as existing HBO subscribers are already used to getting one show per week. HBO, however, isn’t the only new streaming service going in this direction.

At Disney’s D23 Expo, it revealed that when Disney+ debuts November 12th, its shows will follow a weekly release schedule.

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Apple is taking a bit of a mixed approach, but weekly releases seem to definitely be part of the plan. Apple TV+, released November 1st, will reportedly have three episodes available at once for most of its early shows (The Morning Show, See), but then release the rest of the season at a one-episode-per-week rate. Some seasons, however, will be released all at once, like Netflix.

There has been some speculation that Netflix could be engaging in more weekly releases in the future. Although this could change, it doesn’t seem as if the platform has changed its approach as of yet.

There are pros and cons to both the binging and weekly approaches. Despite Netflix’s success, some viewers feel the platform could generate more attention/buzz around its shows by releasing some weekly, particularly its hits like Stranger Things.

This idea likely explains some of the rationale for HBO, Disney and Apple’s decisions. But regardless of what approach is best, these platforms might simply be trying to find ways to contrast themselves with Netflix.

An additional explanation for the weekly approach, however, could be that the platforms, particularly Apple TV+ and Disney+, don’t have much of a choice. With limited content libraries, these services likely don’t want to “use all their bullets” at once.

While Netflix can stay relevant by releasing a new season or movie every week, these new platforms don’t have this luxury as of yet. While they are ramping up their content production, doling out episodes weekly may be the logical step to try and keep subscribers engaged and hooked.

Time will tell which approach works best, but it will likely be the quantity and quality of content, not the release strategy, that ultimately determines the success of the platforms.