The company found that people became loyal to a show anywhere as early as the second episode to as late as the eighth.
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Although the data fails to go as far to detail which exact moments hook viewers, a brief glance at episode synopses can help contextualise what draws new fans in.
If you binge-watch a show on Netflix, chances are you love it and you’ve become addicted to it. But, do you know exactly when that happened?
For example, Dutch Netflix users were generally found to get hooked one episode quicker than other countries.
“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 Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.
As a general rule, Australians take longer to commit to a new series than the global average – we usually need to see one to two extra episodes before we become hooked.
How I Met Your Mother took a whopping eight episodes to win over viewers. This image released by Netflix shows Kevin Spacey as Francis Underwood in a scene from “House of Cards“.
Netflix says that despite differences for countries and programs, the hooked moment had no correlation to audience size or strength.
Netflix said it examined viewing data from customer accounts in Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and USA that started watching season one of any series between January and July this year.
“When we’re giving these shows full seasons at a time (it’s originals often get season 2 commissions before the first has even aired), it lets the showrunner create more closely to how people like to watch”, Sarandos added to The Independent.
You may think your Netflix behavior is your private pride or shame, only revealed back to you in your curated suggestions or in the oft-dreaded “Because You Watched” section.
Episode synopsis: Francis leaves Washington in the middle of negotiations over the education bill in order to take care of a thorny issue in his home district in South Carolina. Five episodes of “Daredevil“.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (4 episodes): Kimmy has an eye-opening experience when Jacqueline introduces her to a plastic surgeon, though there is still no remedy for the mystery of her fear of velcro. Mad Men and The Blacklist, for instance didn’t suck in viewers until episode six, but Suits, The Walking Dead, and Sons of Anarchy made you ache for another hour of sweet, sweet entertainment after only two episodes.
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Mad Men (6 episodes): It may be Mother’s Day, but the secretaries are enjoying their time in the sun courtesy of an impromptu brainstorm for Belle Jolie lipstick.
