To Binge or Not to Binge? Netflix, HBO Max Debate How to Release Your Favorite Shows

Ever since Netflix shook the entertainment world by releasing the entire first season of “House of Cards” in one fell swoop a decade ago, a debate has raged over whether that approach made any sense.

Why, some wondered, would a streaming service pay top dollar for a show that users could consume in its entirety in a matter of days? Advocates of that approach, meanwhile, asked why streamers would stick to the weekly release format that defined legacy cable television when they had the flexibility to mix it up and give customers a more immediate payoff.