Analog horror series: why does audience growth come in stairs, not slopes?

1. SS

   SpreadsheetSpecterFanOriginal postSep 10#1

   I export the creator audience metrics every day because I am a normal person. Pattern I keep seeing for analog horror series: growth comes in steps. Flat, flat, flat, then a jump when a new entry drops, then flat again at a higher level. $KNPX, $DIMC and $HLWM all show it. Commentary style channels slope instead. Why?

2. AS

   AnalogStaticFanSep 11#2

   Because analog horror is appointment viewing. Nobody drops in on a random episode. You either binge the whole thing the day you find it or you wait for the next tape.

3. SW

   SignalWardenStaffModSep 12#3

   That matches what we see. Series-driven channels get a release spike, then a long tail as new viewers work through the back catalog. The staircase is the catch-up tail filling in between entries.

4. LF

   LoFiLurkerCreatorSep 12#4

   Small analog creator here. Can confirm my graph is a staircase, except my stairs are about the height of a curb.

5. SS

   SpreadsheetSpecterFanSep 13#5

   LoFiLurker said

   my stairs are about the height of a curb

   A curb is still a step. The shape is right. The scale comes later.

6. NS

   NightSoilPicturesCreatorSep 13#6

   The dangerous part of the staircase is the long flat stretch. Creators panic in the flat and start uploading filler, which breaks the appointment feeling.

7. OO

   OptionsOnOmensInvestorSep 14#7

   Staircases are great for reading the terminal because each release is a clean event. You can see exactly what one upload does to heat.

8. DA

   DeadAirDarrenFanSep 14#8

   The best series make the gap part of the horror. You sit there waiting for the next broadcast as if it is actually coming from somewhere.

9. TD

   TapeDeckTerrorsCreatorSep 14#9

   Tip for anyone building one: seed a mystery in every entry that only resolves two entries later. It keeps the back catalog alive during the flat.