The Era Of Binge Watching

These days, the social media platforms are filled with content of the new episodes of Games of Thrones; this is the time when fans stop opening their social media or even stops conversing with their friends due to the fear of the famous “spoilers”, which is everywhere. So what is all this really about? It is all about the era of binge watching!

The term binge watching was first invented by Netflix when it came into the market and realized that one shortcoming of the television; a viewer could not watch his/her favorite series continuously, and that is the main reason why Netflix gained the popularity, as people could now watch back to back episodes at one time or pick up the next time from exactly where they left off the last time. And now binge watching has become the fashion whether it is a school kid during holidays or a working person during weekends.

The medium now is not only narrowed to Netflix, but many players have come in this zone like Amazon prime, Hotstar, Zee 5, among others. Also, now, not only Hollywood has an expertise in series, but also the Indian filmmakers have emerged in this area and are growing everyday. Here are the main reasons as to why the concept of binge watching is growing with each passing day:

1. Viewers need to wait no more
As mentioned previously, when one has a Netflix or a Hotstar subscription, one does not have to wait for the half an hour of the day to watch his/her daily soaps, all one needs is an internet connection and a device, and of course time.

2. Economical
Apart from providing the benefit of continuity between episodes, digital platforms are more economical than providers like Tata Sky, Dish TV, etc. The average price for Tata Sky would be 3000-7000 yearly with HD package whereas for accessing Hotstar or Zee TV the yearly price is just 1000/year with a much better HD quality videos. Thus, it’s way more economical.

3. The growth and refinement of Indian series
As we can all observe, as the millennial generation, most of us do not enjoy watching majority of the Indian soaps that come on televisions. However, suddenly there is this emergence of great Indian series in these digital platforms. The content, the acting, story line, everything is so refreshing. The genres are more exciting than ever. Moreover these series showcase an amazing pool of talents, and not just actors who have fame. If we talk about series like Sacred Games, Mirzapur, Delhi Crime, Breathe, and many others, these have created a buzz in the online platforms.

4. A pool of genres
The best part is the variety one can get in these platforms. We can watch whatever genre we like and whatever show or movie under that, depending on our mood and whims.So here are some lists under each genre that I would recommend as a binge watcher:

-Comedy: How I met your mother, Friends, Big bang theory, Young Sheldon, Modern family
-Thriller: You, Breathe, Mirzapur, Homeland, Game of Thrones, Black Mirror
-Crime: Criminal Justice, Delhi Crime, Riverdale, Breaking Bad, Narcos, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
-Romantic: Set it up, The perfect date, The kissing booth
-Drama: The Crown, Suits, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Lust Stories, House of Cards

Binge watching has saved us during many monotonous days, however we must remember to do this only in our spare time, and not prioritize this over our work and commitments. Other than that, happy binging!