Report: Streamers Move to Weekly Episode Releases to Reduce Churn

According to a new report by Ampere Analysis, a raft of streamers have reverted to using a weekly release schedule for episodes, rather than dropping them all at once, in a bid to reduce subscriber churn.

While Netflix has a strategy of full-season releases, mirrored by other platforms such as Amazon and Hulu, a wave of new SVOD entrants are employing the classic model of gradual episode releases for their own original titles, says Ampere Analysis, but the trend may be only temporary.

One reason for new platforms to employ this model is the size of the overall on-demand library. At launch, the U.S. Disney+ catalog was 10 percent the size of Netflix’s by total duration, while HBO Max’s was 26 percent and Apple TV+’s less than 1 percent. The number of flagship originals available in the first months of launch was also limited, especially due to delays caused by Covid-19-related production shutdowns.

According to the study, a weekly release strategy across a range of high-profile originals reduces the risk of churn over time. For example, Disney+ released episodes of new Marvel Cinematic Universe TV shows across 34 weeks in 2021. A subscriber would have to keep Disney+ for the majority of the year to watch each episode at the earliest opportunity.

Ampere’s Popularity Score also indicates that engagement with a TV show decays faster for full-season releases when indexed against their popularity at launch. In comparing top Netflix (full-season releases) and HBO (weekly releases) shows, the popularity of the former dropped to 80 percent of the premiere month within one month of release compared to four months for the latter.

Rahul Patel, senior analyst, said: “A weekly release pattern more easily facilitates conversation around a show. Between episodes, viewers have ample time to discuss and re-watch episodes, which is less likely to be the case if an entire season is released together. Hence, weekly releases can lessen the chance of engagement with a show decaying rapidly after its initial release. By extension, weekly releases can benefit lower-profile titles—particularly those not based on recognizable Intellectual Property—as positive word of mouth sentiment has more time to build and spread. By releasing the totality of an unknown season in one stroke, a platform runs the risk of the title being crowded out in an increasingly competitive content market.”