Netflix Knows When You Get “Hooked” On A Show
A friend of mine once said to me,”Netflix is like a crack dealer. All it takes is a taste and next thing you know you’re up for two days straight.” He was referring to Netflix’s addictive binge watching format. The ability to watch your favorite show or a newly discovered show from it’s very first season to it’s very last all in one sitting (if you dare). But little do some know, there is a method behind Netflix’s madness. The company has figured out exactly when you get hooked on a show, more specifically which episode of a show gets you hooked. It’s rare ( practically impossible) for a shows pilot episode to hook you right out if the gate usually the earliest episodes to grab you are episode 2. If you’re curious when your favorite show hooked you check out this nifty list courtesy of Indiewire:
“Arrow” – Episode 8*
“Bates Motel” – Episode 2*
“Better Call Saul” – Episode 4*
“Bloodline” – Episode 4
“BoJack Horseman” – Episode 5
“Breaking Bad” – Episode 2*
“Dexter” – Episode 3*
“Gossip Girl” – Episode 3
“Grace & Frankie” – Episode 4
“House of Cards” – Episode 3*
“How I Met Your Mother” – Episode 8*
“Mad Men” – Episode 6*
“Marco Polo” – Episode 3
“Marvel’s Daredevil” – Episode 5
“Once Upon A Time” – Episode 6*
“Orange is the New Black” – Episode 3
“Pretty Little Liars” – Episode 4
“Scandal” – Episode 2*
“Sense8” – Episode 3
“Sons of Anarchy” – Episode 2*
“Suits” – Episode 2*
“The Blacklist” – Episode 6*
“The Killing” – Episode 2
“The Walking Dead” – Episode 2*
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” – Episode 4
It’s pretty interesting to see some of the shows that don’t get you hooked until episodes 6 or 8. You would think Netflix only wanted shows that would hook you as soon as possible. How much value will shows that take longer to hook have in the future. Many shows are learning that if you don’t hook your viewer and reel them in with the first 4 or 5 episodes than you might already consider your show a failure. Hopefully Netflix and other streaming service that use analytics like this won’t put that much stock in those particular numbers.
[Source: IndieWire]