Streaming TV has opening weekends, too -- which Netflix has dominated

The Ringer

"Streaming television’s sheer density has created a sort of small-screen parallel to the film industry concept of opening-weekend box office," says Alison Herman. "What’s at stake in the crucial first few days of a show’s lifespan isn’t revenue; as television executives are quick to remind us, streaming is all about the long game, investing in a show so that it will linger in the archives in perpetuity. But the overwhelming volume of Peak TV creates a now-or-never feeling of scarcity when it comes to another finite, all-important resource: audiences’ attention. It’s a more intangible competition than the hard numbers of a box office gross, yet it’s one where Netflix seems to be at a definite, possibly insurmountable advantage."