The point of commitment

From series like ‘Narcos’, ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘House of Cards’ to old favourites like ‘Suits’, Gilmore Girls’ and ‘Orange is the New Black’, Indians enjoy a diverse mix of international content, thanks to Netflix. But with so much to watch, how long does it take before viewers decide to stick to a series? Examining global viewing of more than 60 shows, Netflix pinpointed the specific episode that took watchers from casual to committed viewing. Data reveals that the “hooked episode” is never the first one.

“Given the precious nature of primetime slots on traditional TV, a series pilot is arguably the most important point in the life of the show,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix. “Yet in our research across the (specific) region, we found that no one was ever hooked on the first episode. This matches with our viewing data in other parts of the world and gives us the confidence that great, original stories travel when commercial breaks and appointment viewings are stripped away,” he said.

Universal bond of fandom
Netflix discovered viewing behaviour and fandom is becoming increasingly universal. Members in India were drawn to the world of Harvey Specter and Mike Ross in ‘Suits’ in the same episode as those in ‘Narcos’ (episode 2) while fear of the unknown had fans in Singapore and France reeling for ‘Stranger Things’ (episode 2). Meanwhile, love had viewers in South Korea, Italy and Ireland falling in love with ‘Gilmore Girls’ (episode 8). Regardless of whether they live in Argentina or Australia, Singapore or Sweden, members around the world are not only getting hooked on similar episodes, but identifying with similar storylines.

“We've always believed there is universality to great stories. The internet allows us to share these stories with a global audience and what we see from the data is how similar our members watch and respond,” said Cindy Holland, Vice-President of Original Content at Netflix. While the data found out the episodes that got members hooked around the world, there are a few moments in those episodes that push the scale. To begin with, the kidnapping of an Ochoa member marking the introduction of M19 clan got viewers addicted to ‘Narcos’ (episode 2). The well-played move by Louis Litt in tricking Mike to smoke pot with Tom (prospective client) got viewers hooked to ‘Suits’ (episode 2). The alarming discovery of Sam’s naked picture on the dead girl’s phone locked members into ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ (episode 4).