Netflix invented the idea of ​​binge watching. Now I’m probably over that.

buzz Bloomberg report Citing Netflix data, it suggests that viewers are increasingly abandoning popular shows before the second season. It’s not hard to guess the possible reasons: Netflix cancels shows frequently, there’s a very long wait between seasons, and a lot of Netflix content is designed for an algorithm rather than art.

But the data also points to a shift in how people consume entertainment. Netflix’s signature innovation — binging — was designed for an era when streaming was competing with traditional television. Today, Netflix competes with TikTok, YouTube, Reels, and many smaller drama apps. This shift makes Netflix’s bingeing model seem like an antiquated relic from another era.

Binge-watching helped Netflix take on TV

When Netflix dropped an entire season of House of Cards for the first time February 2013, It was a revelation.
Ad-free and Internet-connected television meant we could be freed from the traditional routine of once-a-week shows interspersed with commercials. Instead, entertainable shows meant that viewers could be entertained for hours on end, quickly forming a bond with titles and their characters that would otherwise take years to develop. In addition, you can watch it at any time, not just on the day the network decides to broadcast it, as is the case with linear television.

This way of watching made sense in a world where Netflix was still largely competing with traditional television like streaming, cable, and satellite. But Netflix won this battle. Nielsen in June 2025 Announce That the TV era had reached a new milestone, when the Netflix-style streaming format for the first time surpassed streaming and cable viewing — a milestone that made clear that Netflix’s original competition was no longer a threat.

Now, Netflix’s competition is not the old TV, but what has become today’s TV: video apps.

TikTok and YouTube are threats today

Thanks to the rise of TikTok, Reels, and other short-form video platforms, there’s no need to visit Netflix when you have a few hours to spend with mindless entertainment. There are an endless number of free videos you can refer to instead.

according to E-marketing analystsTikTok was already approaching Netflix in terms of time spent in 2024, when US adults would spend an average of 62.1 minutes per day streaming from Netflix and 58.4 minutes per day on TikTok. In 2024, The Financial Times reported Globally, TikTok users spend an average of 95 minutes per day on the app, the highest engagement rate among major social media networks.

Then there’s YouTube, which offers a mix of short-form and long-form content. For each report It was released this year by Digital iYouTube surpassed Netflix in average daily viewing for the first time, reaching 99.1 minutes per day in 2025 compared to 93.4 minutes on Netflix.

These market reports use different methodologies and demographics, so should be taken with caution – but they point directly in the same direction. YouTube and apps like TikTok are Netflix’s real competition, not TV.

Netflix acknowledged this existential threat by redesigning the product in April A TikTok-like feed based on Netflix content.

One thing Netflix gets wrong is that it’s still pitched as a way to help you find something to watch, rather than being the thing you watch. It’s understandable why Netflix went this route, given its library, but that’s not necessarily what the end user wants. Today, many people with dopamine-depleted attention spans are instead Small drama apps are being found in increasing numbers When they want a serialized story they can consume it in minutes.

According to data from app intelligence firm Appfigures, one of the top microdrama apps, ReelShort, saw nearly $1.2 billion in total consumer spending in 2025, up 119% from 2024. TechCrunch’s Amanda Silberling previously reported. Meanwhile, another leading app, DramaBox, generated $276 million in total consumer spending last year, more than double its numbers in 2024. Even TikTok acknowledged the competition, Launching the Microdrama application Of its own to test the market’s appetite for this type of content.

Where does Netflix go from here?

Where does this leave Netflix, which has had entire seasons dropped all at once for quick consumption?

You’ll likely have to rethink how you greenlight, produce and release what you consider a “TV show.”

This doesn’t mean the Netflix model has to focus entirely on short films to keep up with the competition, but it may need to reconsider the way people want to stream. Viewers may no longer want to devote the hours and weeks it takes to watch the show and all of its subsequent seasons, for example. They want something that feels more “finishable,” the way you can easily watch a YouTube video or TikTok series from a content creator.

A simple fix could see Netflix try to prioritize single-season shows, traditionally known as miniseries Or limited seriesallowing people to set aside completed work without having to worry about whether it will eventually expire and never be renewed.

Netflix could also experiment with breaking up shows into smaller parts, like before its time Quibi model.

The startup Quibi, backed by Jeffrey Katzenberg, is betting that people will eventually gravitate toward TV content designed to be watched in shorter sessions. Unfortunately for Quibi, The epidemic hitPeople suddenly had so much time to watch television, which led to its demise.

Many Netflix shows can be easily revamped for shorter viewing sessions, especially lightweight competition shows like “Nailed It” or “Is It Cake?” Or “Squid Game: The Challenge”. Meanwhile, Netflix can certainly produce better small-scale dramas than this one Currently on the market With their terrible acting and ridiculous stories.

To generate interest in their high-quality content, some Netflix shows may be converted to a weekly release model. This is something Netflix has already proven successful in specific cases. For example, she’s dropping new episodes of her reality show “Love Is Blind” on Weekly pranksWhich makes it a great water cooler since everyone is watching new episodes at around the same time. (Faster consumption models can also work. For example, Peacock’s “Love Island USA” model is ideal.) Reality hit Summer as there is a new episode almost daily).

But instead of experimenting with different types of short-form content for quick entertainment, alongside slower versions of seasons, or focusing more on binge-worthy mini-series, Netflix has delved into other areas.

Recently, it has expanded its lineup through podcasts, which Reportedly no one is watchingand Live contentwhich can be hit or miss. Regarding the latter, Netflix is ​​investing in Live sports performed well overall, But its recent entry in Live reality competition shows“Star Search”, has It has already been cancelled Despite the smart real-time voting feature. More work is still needed here.

The Bloomberg report categorized the problem facing Netflix as a failure to create loyal TV viewers who tune in for Season 2, but the fundamental problem facing the streamer is much larger. Netflix may need to rethink whether it still needs to focus on competing with traditional TV and its long-running shows, or whether it should focus on entertainment projects whose storytelling arcs are less padded and wrap up more quickly.

To find the right balance between viewers ditching cable and those who want something better than TikTok, Netflix finds itself needing to reinvent TV all over again.