In the good old days, when network TV was the only way people could enjoy their favourite shows, there were bitter battles over schedules. US networks were especially aggressive in their approach to scheduling, with decisions being made for commercial reasons, or sometimes just to upset the applecart.
Fans of Marvel might have recently been surprised to see Loki appear on Wednesday instead of Friday when most new shows debut. It looks as though the God of Mischief might be onto something, because Disney+ is now planning to use hump day as a way to avoid competition with other streaming services.
Loki is reported as being the biggest debut for a show on Disney+, although its launch date is unlikely to be the sole reason for that. Loki is, after all, one of Marvel’s most entertaining hero/villians and with a cast that includes and Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson and Wunmi Mosaku it’s fairly certain that Loki would have been a hit on any day of the week.
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Companies like Amazon have also traditionally tried to launch on Fridays, although in the US there are streaming companies like Hulu which releases series on both Wednesday and Friday. That said, it doesn’t feel like every Friday is packed with new releases, and even if they were, it’s unlikely that the same audience would be flocking to both.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that new original series will appear on Wednesdays. That includes the Monsters, Inc. show called Monsters at Work and the new Turner & Hooch TV series which starts mid-July. It also notes that, while original series will debut on Wednesday, Disney+ will continue to release new movies on a Friday.
It seems like that upcoming seasons of The Manalorian and the other upcoming Star Wars and Marvel series will be helping you get through the week by appearing on Wednesday. We’re here for it, and the more great TV we get on the growing selection of streaming services the better.
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Ian has been involved in technology journalism since 2007, originally writing about AV hardware back when LCDs and plasma TVs were just gaining popularity. Nearly 15 years on, he remains as excited about how tech can make your life better.
