From Netflix to the upcoming DC Universe, streaming services with a focus on "binge-watching" have dominated the television industry for the past half-decade. Netflix doesn’t release full statistics for their shows, but it's clear TV binging has taken over the industry. That cultural shift can be traced back to systems pioneered by services like Netflix that keep viewers watching, episode after episode. Now, though, the streaming giant seems to be pushing back on that term "binge."
While on the Empire Film Podcast to promote his new Netflix series The Innocents, Iron Man 3 actor Guy Pearce commented on Netflix’s apparent crackdown on the term.
“I don’t think Netflix likes the term ‘binge,'” said Pearce. “When we did the promotion for [The Innocents] in the [United States], we were strictly sort of instructed beforehand not to talk about ‘binge-watching.’”
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The phrase itself has come under scrutiny in recent years, as some have started to perceive the term as potentially harmful, which likely has a great deal to do with its roots. An article published for the National Eating Disorders Association stated that because the word “binge” has a background in making someone feel ashamed, it can lead to a negative self-perception.
Pearce’s comments come at an odd time, as just yesterday True Detective veteran Cary Fukunaga explicitly discussed Netflix’s algorithm to preserve “binging momentum” for his new series, Maniac. In the interview with GQ, Fukunaga revealed he wasn’t able to make an episode that departed from the series’ norm because the algorithm suggested the show would lose viewers.
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"So they can look at something you're writing and say, ‘We know based on our data that if you do this, we will lose this many viewers,’” said Fukunaga. “So it's a different kind of note-giving. It's not like, ‘Let's discuss this and maybe I'm gonna win.’ The algorithm's argument is gonna win at the end of the day. So the question is do we want to make a creative decision at the risk of losing people.”
On top of this, Netflix’s site itself includes ample references to binge-watching, with a cursory check turning up results for "Binge-Worthy Crime TV Thrillers," "Binge-Worthy TV Shows" and "Critically-Acclaimed Binge-Worthy TV Shows."
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As a phrase, “binge-watching” is tied intrinsically with Netflix, and though it seems like the company may try to phase out the term, time will tell how committed they are to that goal.
Now streaming on Netflix, Guy Pearce can be seen in The Innocents Season 1, created by Hania Elkington and Simon Duric.
(via Indiewire)