Binge-viewing went mainstream in 2013, which means anyone involved in Christian broadcasting needs to pay attention to it.
The data suggests that the practice of watching a handful of episodes of the same TV show in one sitting is becoming a social norm.
According to a Harris Interactive survey commissioned by Netflix, 61% of TV streamers (Adults 18+ who stream TV shows at least once a week) binge watch regularly.
Other findings. Almost all of those TV streamers — 80% — say they would rather stream a good TV show than read a friend’s social media posts.
The practice is changing the way content is being created and distributed.
Made possible by cheap streaming content, the growth of broadband and lightning-fast mobile connections, binge-watching is something traditional Christian broadcasters should be watching closely as you look at how to connect to your audience and customers.
Ten takeaways from binge-watching TV for Christian broadcasters gearing up for TV online:
- Underscores the ongoing shift of media to the Internet.
- Highlights the growth of broadband and mobile infrastructure and a smoother streaming process.
- Signs of a continued appetite for long-form video content, even online.
- Can put large quantities of cheap video content at the viewers’ fingertips. (We’re not against monetizing content. Creators should be rewarded. We believe viewers that need Jesus should not have to pay for the gospel.)
- Increases chances for your content getting stumbled upon.
- Lines up content with new norms and time shifting capabilities, allowing viewers to watch shows on their own schedule, or multiple episodes all at once.
- Opens the door to exciting possibilities: for instance, instead of a series of episodes, a storyteller could produce a multi-hour show with perhaps some breaks in between for sponsors. Or story lines created around one individual’s faith experience, allowing streamers to watch and process spiritual meaning at their own pace.
- Offers way to incorporate fewer commercial breaks in the programming, reduce clutter on sites overrun with banner ads, and present advertisers with premium sponsorships.
- Gives church media departments a way to showcase original content, and broadcasters get a way to have shows created exclusively for their brand.
- Focuses on Christian broadcasting’s leading advantage when compared to other types of general market media: audience loyalty.
Internet video watching mainstream
Bing-viewing and the online video streaming business it represents isn’t an emerging trend: Internet video watching is mainstream. It is altering the media industry.
Faced with an incredibly complicated and expensive process set of changes, Christian broadcasters have a serious mountain to climb. But they’re used to taking risks and they are well aware of the lives that are at stake if they risk nothing.
In decades past, Christian broadcasters brushed aside obstacles and pushed to the top of the traditional broadcasting mountain by embracing every new technology invented. They put the gospel on every platform where people congregated. They made the content free, easy to get, and available on multiple viewing and listening devices.
What’s really interesting is, that’s precisely what’s being said about why binge-watching is taking off: viewers of digital content want it cheap, easy and available across multiple platforms.
The streaming technologies for full-time TV-style video broadcasting are in place, whether entities build the solutions in-house or partner with enterprise platforms.
That leaves the content, and it’s worth repeating: church media archives are brimming with original programming.
If ascending the peak of traditional broadcasting has taught us anything, it’s this: when we leverage technology for the gospel with excellence, to the glory of God, He brings the people. Binge on that.