Janine Savoie – Special to the Southern News
Netflix began as a DVD rental service via mail, but the website has grown into the world’s largest online provider for streaming movies and television series. Over 30 million subscribers have watched over two billion hours of streamed video through Netflix.com since it was founded in 1997. Recently, users have found themselves on a Netflix binge, devoting short periods of time to over-indulge on TV series and movies offered through the website.
I have used Netflix for movies, but it’s the television series that I’ve spent the most time watching. My recently viewed page shows entire seasons watched in just a couple of days. I wouldn’t say I’m obsessed with Netflix, but it definitely gets addicting being able to watch full seasons, episode after episode, commercial-free.
I know there are many others out there who can relate. With full seasons of shows that are no longer airing on television, users have taken to the web to catch up on their favorite shows or to relive the seasons.
“I always forget to watch shows when they air on TV,” said Devin Dufour, SCSU sophomore. “I use Netflix to watch the seasons on my own time, without commercials!”
Dufour also said she has found herself on a Netflix binge at times.
“I’ve been obsessed with Breaking Bad,” she said. “I’ve been trying to power through all the seasons and sometimes I watch up to four, hour long episodes in a row.”
I also know what it’s like to attempt to power through an entire series. During the snow-apocalypse that happened earlier this year, I took to Netflix and started the Gossip Girl series. A week’s worth of snow days, six seasons, and 122 episodes later, I was pretty much all Netflixed out, but the fact that I had so many options at my fingertips made the website a lot more inviting than regular cable programming.
According to a report done by Nielson.com, around 38 percent of Americans have said that they use the website, a rise from 2012. 88 percent of these users have reported streaming three or more episodes a day, but with shows like Breaking Bad or The Walking Dead available for streaming, who can blame them?
Want to become a part of the new binge craze? Newsday.com offers the top 45 TV series that are the most binge-worthy. From shows like “Parks and Recreation” to “The X-Files,” you’re bound to find something new to indulge on.
