We are most likely all too familiar with binge-watching our favorite series on Netflix, from old favorites to new series.
But now, the streaming platform is describing a new pattern it’s seeing from its users, a trend they are calling “binge racing”. What the heck is that?
It’s simple, actually. It’s the term they are using to describe subscribers who stream the entire season of an anticipated series within 24 hours of its release.
The cool thing about Netflix is you can go from a show not existing, to everyone but you having seen every episode of it, in a single day.
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) October 15, 2017
If you are a binge racer, you are not alone. Netflix reports that 8.4 million subscribers have binge-raced a show at some point, and the trend has increased more than 20 times between 2013 and 2016.
So what show is leading the race? Depends on where in the world you are streaming from. But in the U.S, the most viewed show in under 24 hours is…
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life!
Kinda makes sense. With an active fan base and lots of buildup for the reboot, we can understand the wild popularity. Plus, it’s a bit shorter than other series.
Entertainment Weekly reports,
“The remaining top 20 globally ranked shows are as follows: Fuller House, Marvel’s The Defenders, The Seven Deadly Sins, The Ranch, Santa Clarita Diet, Trailer Park Boys, F is for Family, Orange Is the New Black, Stranger Things, Friends from College, Atypical, Grace and Frankie, Wet Hot American Summer, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, House of Cards, Love, GLOW, Chewing Gum, and Master of None.”
Interestingly, most of these series are Netflix Originals. Brian Wright, Netflix’s VP of original series, has a guess as to why these shows are being streamed so quickly. He explains,
“There’s a unique satisfaction that comes from being the first to finish a story — whether it’s the final page of a book or the last, climactic moments of your favorite TV show. Netflix allows you to watch in a way you never could before, and there’s nothing better than seeing a show engage our members and ignite a passion for viewing.”
While we totally agree that charging through your favorite series is fun and satisfying, let’s also not forget to be healthy about our TV consumption habits. It’s so exciting when a beloved show drops an entire season in one day, but binge-racing should probably not become a habit. Plus, there’s something to be said of savoring a series and spacing it out over a few days at least. Just maybe don’t check social media in case of potential spoilers.
