Netflix knows it’s doing well. How? Because the phrase “binge-watching” has become more and more common in the every-day conversation.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am absurdly obsessed with television. Part of this stems from my love of popular culture (call me a stereotypical girl); part of this stems from my inexplicable need to feel in-the-know about the current entertainment landscape.
As a result of this strange mix of desire and necessity, I have watched an inordinate amount of TV shows. And it’s all thanks to Netflix. Well, mostly. Although I am the type of person who also follows along with current seasons airing, Netflix has allowed me to either a) catch up on shows so that I can start watching in real time or b) watch an entire series of a show if it has ended. At the risk of completely and utterly embarrassing myself, here are some shows that have taken over my life:
Friday Night Lights, Desperate Housewives, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Scandal, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, Breaking Bad, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Mad Men…
I won’t even mention shows on HBO or Showtime. The point is that Netflix identified the wants of the consumer and delivered with its fairly cheap streaming service of both television shows and movies. If you don’t have your own Netflix account, you’re using someone else’s. And now that you can watch Netflix on your Apple TV (not all of us are so lucky to have one), there is even more of an incentive to start your own account.
Do you have kids? There are plenty of children television shows and movies for them to enjoy. Like documentaries? There is an entire category dedicated to them. From musicals to foreign films, Netflix has something for everyone. Though let’s be honest, some of their categories rarely get any traffic. (Anime? Really?)
Netflix also changes what it offers in relation to what is happening in the world. Right now, you can log in and find a plethora of Halloween horror movies to get you prepared for fall. When Robin Williams passed away, Netflix added some of his most acclaimed movies to celebrate the actor’s life. At Christmastime, you can guarantee that there will be 20+ of your all-time favorite movies of the season.
I never want to know how many hours (ahem, probably days or weeks when you add it up) of my life I have spent binge-watching television shows and searching for new movies on Netflix. That is a testament to the company; it knows what the viewer wants to watch (even if the viewer him or herself doesn’t consciously know), and it delivers.
Apparently, the mail-in DVD service of Netflix has had its fair share of problems. My question is – who on earth is asking to be mailed a DVD? Have you heard of Redbox? Any cable provider’s on demand service? Maybe you deserve to have your DVD come a year later.
Happy binging.
The Brandwasher 