In 2007, Netflix launched its streaming service alongside its DVD-by-mail business. Most people thought it was a curious side feature. It was, in fact, the beginning of the most significant disruption to entertainment since the invention of colour television.
The binge-watching model
Netflix's decision in 2013 to release all 13 episodes of House of Cards simultaneously changed audience behaviour permanently. The "water cooler moment" — the shared cultural experience of watching something at the same time — was replaced by the individual-pace binge. Some mourned the change. Most embraced it.
Peak TV
By 2022, more than 600 scripted TV series were produced in the US alone in a single year — up from around 200 in 2010. The competition for subscriber attention drove an arms race in talent, production values and storytelling ambition. Game of Thrones, Succession, Breaking Bad, The Crown: the 2010s and 2020s produced some of the most ambitious television ever made, funded by streaming money.
The downside: content overload
The same competition that raised quality also created an impossible volume of content. Viewers suffer from decision fatigue. Many shows are cancelled before finding their audience. The endless scroll has become its own kind of problem.
What comes next
After the initial growth phase, streaming services are consolidating, raising prices and adding ad tiers to survive. The era of cheap, loss-leading content is ending. The industry is likely to settle into a smaller number of larger platforms — and quality, not quantity, will determine who survives.
