The thought of moderation isn’t one that exists to this generation of television viewers.
Instead, there’s binge watching.
Binge-watching is the act of watching a season or a whole series of a single television show in a span of only a few days or weeks. Digital video recorders and streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Go and Hulu have made it easier for avid television watchers to view years’ worth of virtually any series in only a few sittings.
Gone are the days of “appointment viewing.” Viewers are no longer forced to sit through commercials and watch their favorite shows on whatever day and time the network chooses. Alternatively, the viewer is now in control.
A new wave of shows that are being created just for binge watching allow viewers to continue to practice that control.
Netflix has spearheaded the movement by producing original programming like “House of Cards,” “Hemlock Grove” and the revival of “Arrested Development.” Instead of releasing multiple series by episode, like traditional television, Netflix releases one full season at a time. This enables viewers to watch at their leisure, whether that means one episode in a week or thirteen episodes in a day.
After watching six seasons of the CW show “Supernatural” in just three weeks, Rheagan Chambers, biological engineering junior, says she definitely prefers binge watching to traditional appointment viewing.
“I prefer watching shows all in one sitting,” Chambers said. “Waiting for the next week is torture, especially with cliffhanger endings.”
Now the question is: Since viewers can now control over what they watch and when and where they watch it, what will happen to television viewing of the past?
Earlier this year, Nielsen, a company that studies consumer trends, reported the U.S. has over five million “zero TV” households so far in 2013. The updated number is up from just over 2 million zero-TV households in 2007. These consumers have completely tuned out traditional television and are instead turning to their internet-connected devices to view all of their video content. These alternate sources for video content are avenues that lead consumers toward binge-watching habits.
As alternatives to television continue to become conveniently available to the public, only time will tell if traditional viewing will one day become completely obsolete.
Here are some of The Daily Reveille staff’s most impressive binges:

• Trey Labat, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” – 7 seasons in 10 days
• Tyler Nunez, “Game of Thrones” – 3 seasons in 3 days
• James Moran, “Arrested Development” – 4 seasons in 7 days
• Kate Mabry, “House of Cards” – 1 season in 10 days