Sterling K. Brown Explains Why Streamers Keep Seasons Short

Sterling K. Brown recently gave an onlime masterclasss explaining why so many new seasons of TV on streaming consist of only 8-10 episodes.

via: The Jasmine Brand

Sterling K. Brown is weighing in on a TV debate that frustrates viewers everywhere: why streaming shows keep getting shorter seasons.

In a recent social media comment, the Emmy-winning actor explained that the economics behind streaming platforms are very different from traditional network television. According to Brown, cable networks benefit from producing more episodes because additional installments create more ad inventory, which directly increases revenue.

He contrasted that with premium cable and streaming services, saying those companies make their money primarily from subscribers — not from advertisers. Because of that, the focus shifts away from how many episodes an existing show has and toward how many new titles can attract fresh paying users.

Brown argued that adding extra episodes to an already popular series doesn’t necessarily bring in new subscribers. Instead, he said platforms are more likely to invest in “something new and shiny” that makes audiences want to sign up, which in turn helps build the subscriber base.

As for whether longer seasons could ever make a comeback, Brown suggested the only real leverage belongs to viewers themselves. In his view, change would only happen if enough fans actually canceled subscriptions and demanded longer seasons — though he admitted he doesn’t see that happening anytime soon.

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I actually don't mind that shows on streaming services consist of 8-10 episodes as long as you can fill up the episodes with enough story and character development. My only issue with these short shows is the huge gap between seasons. There's no reason why we should have to wait two-three years for a season to air. By that time a new season of your favorite show pops up on streaming, people have moved on to the next thing, since our attention spans have become shorter by the minute.

That's why I applaud shows like The Pitt, Severence, For All Mankind, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Silo and the upcoming Harry Potter TV series, to name a few, that have vowed to release seasons annually.

If network TV can release 24 episodes a season with no issue, I don't get why it's hard for shows like House of the Dragon or most recently Stranger Things.