Netflix is known for releasing entire seasons of their television shows at once, but the streaming platform has been moving away from this approach recently in favour of “batch releases”. Essentially, this is where one series is split into two parts which are released separately.
Global hits Stranger Things and Ozark both have had split releases in the past, and it seems as though Netflix is choosing to use this model for their most successful returning shows in order to build engagement and boost viewership.
Season 4 of physiological thriller YOU starring Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg is the newest edition to the Netflix batch release model. Part 1 of the fourth season premiered on February 9th 2023, with Part 2 following a month later on March 9th.
So how do batch releases affect viewership? According to Netflix Top 10 data, YOU had a decent opening weekend of 92 million hours viewed, which steadily declined to 27 million hours in week 3 before falling out of the top 10 in week 4.
However, the series returned to the number one spot with another 75 million hours viewed after Part 2 released the following week. YOU currently still remains in the Top 10 for TV (English) in its seventh week and secured a renewal for a fifth and final season.
There was a big push on Netflix’s social media after the first part of YOU premiered to build anticipation and intrigue audiences to catch up before the second part revealed all. I spoke to a few of my friends to gather their thoughts on the hype, and their opinions on the release were… mixed.
Most agreed that the split release fit around the plot well – Joe and Rhys (Ed Speelers) become aware of each other’s secret identities at the end of Part 1, and the second part elaborates on that reveal.
There is a clear divide between the two halves, which worked when watching the series unfold for the first time upon release, but was less enjoyable on a re-watch. Many are wondering if this system is really changing audience viewership habits as most people just binged the two parts.
Plus, such a drastic increase in viewership in week 5 (which then had a slower decline compared to the first four weeks) could suggest that some of the audience waited until both parts were available so they could binge the series, defeating Netflix’s intended purpose of the staggered release.
However, it looks as though Netflix are continuing their batch release strategy as well as exploring new ideas. Recently the dark fantasy series The Sandman was cryptically renewed for “more episodes”, with Netflix refusing to announce a second season specifically.
Some Netflix reality shows such as Love is Blind are also using a staggered release method, dropping a few hours of content a week. It seems that batch releases are here to stay on Netflix for the time being, as a boost in viewership in the crucial third and fourth weeks are increasing a show’s success, and the additional promotional opportunities are keeping shows in the minds of audiences for longer while still preserving the feeling of the binge model that Netflix and audiences adore.