Binge watching is gratifying! Or is it?

When it’s an uneventful weekend in the west, the one that’s probably filled with low temperatures or snow, entertaining self with or without friends gains a new meaning. Binge watching makes for a bond both with humans and the shows.

West has been binging on television shows on the Internet for long. India is waking up to the concept, thanks to better connectivity and high resolution video streaming. But, has binging caught on as a trend? The answer is both yes and no.

Watching serials like a complete marathon, be it those international entertainment on Star World or some Pakistani serials on Zindagi. Like, if you are living in Mumbai, Lucknow, or Delhi or even Bengaluru – you sure have attempted to catch those Pakistani serials. Zingadi Gulzar Hai, Humsafar, Aunn Zara so on and so forth!

Binge watching, is more or less non-existent in India when compared against the total percentage of television viewers. But, experts do feel binge watching will soon catch up with the country that has been long waiting to join the west in this segment.

Binge watching is the important change that has been ushered in by Internet. It has drastically changed the way world watches television. The busy life that leaves us no time to follow our favourite shows ensures we catch up with them on the Internet. And when all the episodes that we wish to watch are available back-to-back, the joy of watching truly increases manifold, and how!

But, hang on. Binge watching has also been ‘cautioned against’ by health experts saying this increases chances of depression with decreased levels of socializing. But hey, who cares when your favourite ‘Breaking Bad’ is running an interesting storyline that you wouldn’t want to miss for life!

In India, binge watching is yet to be a trend except for in mega cities. Reasons for this are many. Television watching is also a ‘family time’ which coincides with dinner. Indians who choose to binge watch, prefer their list of English serials over Hindi owing to the easy availability of the content and convenient downloads.

However, this is bound to change because entertainment companies have been making big plans to attract the attention of the Indian youth who can be potential consumers of their products.

However, the only hitch would be to compress those 1,000-odd episodes of the highly successful serials into watchable videos. Binge in India will be a different ball game altogether.

The demand for engaging entertainment in this country is growing with passing day. With increasing numbers of Internet penetration, and better devices that stream video content entering the market, India surely holds a lot of promise for people who would like to bury themselves like an ostrich into their favourite television show or a film on the Internet.

Binge watching can be pretty rewarding and gratifying.

Go, catch your ‘Friends’ or ‘Two and a Half men’ or ‘The Big Bang Theory’ alongside ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’ or ‘Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chasma’. There is a raging demand among children and elders alike for the new shows that are based on mythological stories such as Mahabharat, Devon Ke Dev Mahadev, or Udaan and of course, Chakravartin Ashok Samrat. Chhota Bheem is the darling of children who get to catch their favourite show on the Internet through summer holidays. Ah, the perks of having given up television and entertainment to study for exams!

But, god save you if you want to watch ‘Kyun Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’ or the likes that ran for years after years. Because while binge watching is a desirable past time, it also means that your broadband bills will also give you a jolt when they arrive.

Piracy will always remain an issue with serial makers who would feel they have lost a premium with the audience choosing another platform to watch their creation. Though in the immediate time frame this looks like an issue that would be addressed in the near future, this is sure to brighten the battle between the mega segments of television viewing. When clarity emerges, content will be the king, and the viewer will decide who has the best of it for him!
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