Showbiz Sandbox 180: Binge-Viewing Is Transforming The Way We Watch Television
February 4, 2013
With new streaming media services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime popping up all the time, we now have the ability to watch entire seasons of episodic television series all at once. Now Netflix is taking binge-viewing one step further by releasing all 13-episodes of their original drama series “House of Cards” at once. Dawn Chmielewski of the Los Angeles Times explains how the trend is altering narrative structures, existing revenue models and the entire television landscape.
Speaking of television, the Super Bowl proved once again to be a huge ratings bonanza with more than 108 million viewers tuning in to the football championship game. Unfortunately a power outage delayed the airing of a post-game television show which had hoped to get a boost from carryover viewers.
Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” continues to top the worldwide box office, leading a pack of Oscar contenders that continues to attract big audiences well into the new year.
Of course we also cover the top entertainment headlines from the past week including news about a film version of the hit series “Entourage”, plans for subscription channels on YouTube and Ticketmaster (sort of) ditches its horrible security system.
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Super Bowl XLVII Scores Best Rating Ever for the Game
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/super-bowl-xlvii-scores-best-417766
‘Django Unchained’ Still Atop Anemic Overseas Circuit, No. 1 For Third Straight Weekend
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foreign-box-office-django-unchained-417668
Ed Koch Dies On Day His Documentary Opens
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-ed-koch-dies-on-day-his-documentary-opens-20130201,0,5219643.story
Ed Koch Also Wrote Some Charming Film Reviews for The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/02/ed-koch-also-wrote-some-charming-film-reviews-for-the-atlantic/272783/
Aaron Sorkin Disappears From Hugh Jackman Broadway Musical ‘Houdini’
http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/aaron-sorkin-disappears-from-hugh-jackman-broadway-musical-houdini/
After Reshuffling Funds, ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ Producers Plan to Proceed
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/after-reshuffling-funds-breakfast-at-tiffanys-producers-plan-to-proceed/
Tina Fey Talks Mean Girls Musical: Mariah Carey Should Play the Cool Mom!
http://www.eonline.com/news/382229/tina-fey-talks-mean-girl-musical-mariah-carey-should-play-the-cool-mom
CES Ditches CNET After CBS Scandal
http://news.yahoo.com/ces-ditches-cnet-cbs-scandal-195056182.html
“Rebecca” Producers Sue Publicist Marc Thibodeau
http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/theater/rebecca-producers-sue-publicist-marc-thibodeau.html
YouTube Set to Introduce Paid Subscriptions This Spring
http://adage.com/article/digital/youtube-set-introduce-paid-subscriptions-spring/239437/
Hungarian Film Week Called Off
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hungarian-film-week-called-416389
Warner Bros Gives Green Light To Movie Version Of HBO Series ‘Entourage’
http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/warner-bros-gives-green-light-to-movie-version-of-hbo-series-entourage/
‘Star Wars’: 3-D Prequels Postponed to Make Way For ‘Episode VII’
http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2013/01/28/star-wars-3-d-prequels-postponed-to-make-way-for-episode-vii/
Ticketmaster Ditches Hated Captcha Security System
http://www.thedailyswarm.com/headlines/finally-ticketmaster-ditches-hated-captcha-security-system/
Coachella 2013: Ticket Woes and A Quick Sell-out For Weekend One
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-coachella-2013-sells-out-weekend-one-minutes-20130129,0,633424.story
Binge-Viewing Is Transforming The Television Experience
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-binge-viewing-20130201,0,305816.story
Netflix Plans $400-Million Bond Offering
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-netflix-plans-400-million-bond-offering-20130129,0,224149.story
HI, my name is Michael and I’m a binge viewer. (“Hi, Michael!”) It started with “The Wire.” I don’t have HBO and I watched the show on DVD. Not only was it easier to follow the intricate plots and enjoy the slow build of season one (it took about six episodes for everything to “click:) but the subtitle function let me decipher some of the street dialogue. More shows followed, like PBS’s The Duchess Of Duke Street and — yes — an entire day of “24” in one horrible weekend. I woke up, crusty eyed, dirty, unshaven, hating myself and promising I’d never do it again. Then they released “House Of Cards.” Help me. Please.