Is this TVIV? On Netflix, TVIII and binge-watching

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between television and video on demand (VOD), focusing specifically on Netflix and its recent move to produce and distribute original serialised drama. Drawing on a number of conceptualisations of contemporary media, this article positions Netflix within a contemporary media landscape, paying particular attention to how it relates to branding strategies of multi-platform serialised content and subscription cable channels in the United States. It considers Netflix-produced season 4 of Arrested Development (Fox, 2003–2013, Netflix, 2013) as a case study to explore how Netflix positions itself in relation to contemporary ‘quality’ and ‘cult’ TV and associated viewing practices and draws on theories of post-postmodern capitalism to understand its function within a broader socio-political context. As such, it places Netflix within discourses of VOD, TVIII, branding, contemporary viewing practices and consumer practices in post-postmodern capitalism.