{{Short description|Engagement with media for a long time period}} {{for|the overlapping concept of binge-watching|binge-watching}}{{Other uses|Marathon}}
A '''marathon''' or '''watchalong''' is an event in which viewers or readers engage many hours' worth of [[Media (communication)|media]] (film, television, books, [[YouTube]] videos etc.) in a condensed time period. The phrase has been used to refer to television and movie events since the 1940s. In the modern age of [[Streaming television|streaming]], it has been replaced by the concept of [[binge-watching]], although marathons by definition incorporate other media (not just television) and have lesser negative connotations compared to bingeing.
In the 2014 book ''Media Marathoning: Immersions in Morality,'' Lisa Perks describes media marathoning as a "comprehensive and complimentary phrase" that "connotes a conjoined triumph of commitment and stamina. This phrase also captures viewers' or readers' engrossment, effort, and sense of accomplishment surrounding their media interaction."<ref>Perks, Lisa. (2014). [https://www.amazon.com/Media-Marathoning-Lisa-Glebatis-Perks/dp/073919674X Media Marathoning: Immersions in Morality] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315094109/http://www.amazon.com/Media-Marathoning-Lisa-Glebatis-Perks/dp/073919674X |date=2016-03-15 }}. Lexington Books, p. ix.</ref> [[Netflix]] executive Todd Yellin is quoted as saying "I don't like the term 'binge,' because it sounds almost pathological. 'Marathon' sounds more celebratory."<ref>Quoted in John Jurgensen. (July 13, 2013). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303740704577521300806686174 Binge Viewing: TV's Lost Weekends.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120173440/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303740704577521300806686174 |date=2016-11-20 }} ''[[The Wall Street Journal]].''</ref>
Media marathons can be organized around particular series, particular artists (e.g., [[Kurosawa]] or [[Hitchcock]]), or genres (e.g., [[horror film]]s or [[chick flick]]s). Marathons can be user-created: one person decides to undertake a marathon solo or to organize a group marathon. Marathons may also be producer-created. Producer-created marathons are usually orchestrated by movie theaters, [[Fansite|fan sites]], or by cable channels that show already-run seasons, and, more recently, with original first-run programming through streaming services (such as Netflix's [[House of Cards (American TV series)|''House of Cards'']]). In television, a marathon is an extension of the concept of [[block programming]].
==Reasons== The most common reasons for a network to run a marathon are: # to celebrate the acquisition of a series, # to commemorate the loss of rights to a series # to lead into a highly anticipated episode of a series (such as a return from a hiatus or a [[series finale]]), # likewise to allow viewers to catch up on a series before a season finale or a series finale, # to honor the retirement or death of a person associated with the series (this is particularly popular on networks that specialize in [[rerun]]s), # to mark a milestone associated with that series (such as the anniversary of its premiere, or reaching a certain number of episodes) # to celebrate (or to take advantage of additional viewers on) a [[holiday]], especially with holiday-themed episodes, # to [[burning off|burn off]] a contract for a television series that has proved unprofitable, # to [[stunting (broadcasting)|signal the end of a channel format and/or the start of a new one]], # or to inexpensively [[Counterprogramming (television)|counterprogram]] against more popular programs such as the [[Super Bowl]],<ref name=usatoday-bowls2009>{{cite news|title=Football not your thing? Tee up these televised 'bowls'|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-01-29-super-bowl-alternatives_N.htm|newspaper=USA Today|access-date=30 January 2013|first=Bruce|last=Schwartz|date=30 January 2009|archive-date=21 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021063432/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-01-29-super-bowl-alternatives_N.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
Marathons are attractive to genre movie fans, or families that like watching their favorite movies/TV shows in blocks at a time.<ref name="books.google.com.au">{{cite book|title=Planning Your Family Staycation: Fun Ideas for Your At-Home Summer Vacation|author=Witmer, D.D.|date=17 March 2012 |isbn=9781105601156|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dJiiAwAAQBAJ|page=126|publisher=Lulu.com |access-date=2 January 2015}}</ref>
==History== Starting in the late 1940s, Journalists began using "marathon" in association with television events, according to archival research by media scholar Emil Steiner.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Steiner |first1=Emil |title=Binge TV: The Rise and Impact of the Viewing Revolution |url=https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/binge-tv/ |date=2023 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-8407-9 |archive-date=2023-03-09 |access-date=2023-03-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309204420/https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/binge-tv/ |url-status=live }}</ref> "TV marathon" usages from 1949 to 1959 adhered to these categories: (1) Telethon, (2) Political Stunt/Punditry, (3) Lengthy Oratory, (4) Plus-Sized Show, (5) Plus-Sized Series, and (6) Plus-Sized Programming. “TV marathon” remained associated with live fundraising events through the early 1950s. This remained the most frequent journalistic usage of “marathon” until the 1980s, though the frequency really began falling in 1952, as journalists and style guides began using [[telethon]] instead. The portmanteau saved typesetters between two and 10 letters per mention of the most common usage of “television/TV marathon.” While “movie marathon” appeared as early as 1948,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1948/08/01/86751264.html?pageNumber=152 | title=Family Life, 1948 A.T. (After Television); Privacy goes out the window when the video party enters through the door | work=The New York Times | archive-date=2024-12-03 | access-date=2023-03-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203110710/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1948/08/01/86751264.html?pageNumber=152 | url-status=live }}</ref> journalists did not describe viewing them as “TV marathons.” Even when televised movie marathons began becoming common in the 1970s, journalists modified marathons by the content's original medium. Films and TV shows were separated, and journalists stuck to these six usages. “TV marathon” was used nearly 10 times more frequently than “TV binge” in English language periodicals from 1948 to 2011.
Japanese [[manga]] magazine ''[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]]'' developed a successful formula of publishing individual manga chapters and then compiling them into separate standalone [[tankōbon]] volumes that could be "binged" all at once. This ''Jump'' formula produced major [[Japanese pop culture]] hits such as ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' (1984 debut), ''[[One Piece]]'' (1997 debut) and ''[[Naruto]]'' (1999 debut). According to Matt Alt of ''[[The New Yorker]]'', "''Jump'' presaged the way the world consumes streaming entertainment today."<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Alt |first1=Matt |title="Demon Slayer": The Viral Blockbuster from Japan |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/demon-slayer-the-viral-blockbuster-from-japan |access-date=20 June 2021 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |date=18 June 2021 |archive-date=19 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619223831/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/demon-slayer-the-viral-blockbuster-from-japan |url-status=live }}</ref>
Marathon viewing sessions of Japanese [[anime]] television series have been a common trend in [[anime fandom]] for decades, dating back to the late 1970s to 1980s.<ref name="McKevitt">{{cite book |last1=McKevitt |first1=Andrew C. |title=Consuming Japan: Popular Culture and the Globalizing of 1980s America |date=31 August 2017 |publisher=[[UNC Press Books]] |isbn=978-1-4696-3448-7 |pages=194–5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PXgzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA195}}</ref><ref name="Kotaku">{{cite web |last1=Plunkett |first1=Luke |title=Early Anime Fans Were Tough Pioneers |url=https://cosplay.kotaku.com/early-anime-fans-were-tough-pioneers-1789281217 |website=[[Kotaku]] |date=22 November 2016 |access-date=19 September 2020 |language=en-us |archive-date=22 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922151721/https://cosplay.kotaku.com/early-anime-fans-were-tough-pioneers-1789281217 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to an early American anime [[cosplayer]], Karen Schnaubelt, Japanese anime were "incredibly difficult to come by" with "nothing available except broadcast TV until" [[VHS]] videotapes became commonly available in the late 1970s, allowing fans to import anime shows from Japan; she noted that a friend "would record the episodes" and then "a group of us would gather at his apartment and watch a marathon of the episodes."<ref name="Kotaku"/> At [[comic conventions]] and [[sci-fi conventions]] in the 1980s, fans brought video tapes to hold marathon anime screenings; BayCon 1986, for example, held an 80-hour long anime marathon.<ref name="McKevitt"/>
On broadcast TV, the first TV marathons aired on Nickelodeon's [[Nick at Nite]], on July 1, 1985, presenting multiple episodes from ''Donna Reed'' and ''Route 66''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Slevinski|first1=Christy|title=CLASSIC MOVE: NICK AT NITE MARKS A DECADE|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/classic-move-nick-nite-marks-decade-article-1.682035|website=New York Daily News|access-date=1 May 2018|archive-date=9 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309213718/https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/classic-move-nick-nite-marks-decade-article-1.682035|url-status=live}}</ref> The idea by [[Alan Goodman]] and [[Fred Seibert]] was based on a similar concept that radio stations used, in which songs by one particular artist would be played for a prolonged period of time.
A marathon may be used by a broadcaster to celebrate its acquisition of a specific series or film franchise (such as [[FXX]]'s "Every Simpsons Ever" marathon, which celebrated the channel's acquisition of the cable rights to ''[[The Simpsons]]''),<ref name=":0" /> honor a long-running series before its [[series finale]] (such as [[MTV]]'s ''[[Jersey Shore (TV series)|Jersey Shore]]'' marathon in 2012,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-12-11 |title=Seven days of 'Jersey Shore': Yeah, buddy? |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2012-dec-11-la-et-st-jersey-shore-series-finale-kicks-off-with-sevenday-marathon-20121211-story.html |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007101438/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2012-dec-11-la-et-st-jersey-shore-series-finale-kicks-off-with-sevenday-marathon-20121211-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and an online marathon of ''[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]'' held by [[Comedy Central]] in 2015, which both featured the series' entire run),<ref name="thewrap-jonvoyage">{{cite web |date=25 June 2015 |title=Jon Stewart to Get Month-Long Send Off From Comedy Central |url=http://www.thewrap.com/jon-stewart-to-get-month-long-send-off-from-comedy-central |access-date=25 June 2015 |website=[[TheWrap]] |archive-date=27 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627181936/http://www.thewrap.com/jon-stewart-to-get-month-long-send-off-from-comedy-central/? |url-status=live }}</ref> celebrate a milestone involving a long-running series,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> or as a memorial for an entertainer that had recently died.<ref name="Alexander">{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Bryan |title=Betty White's 'Celebration' features her last video message to fans, in theaters for 100th birthday |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2022/01/15/betty-white-celebration-final-video-100th-birthday-ryan-reynolds/9197135002/ |access-date=2022-12-25 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> In a few cases, especially with classic television, [[lost episode]]s, originally unseen [[television pilot]]s, and other programming that may not have been seen during the show's original run may be included.
While many marathons were initially considered rare, special events, since the 2010s it has become common for some channels to structure their daily schedules into blocks devoted to specific programs (usually three-to-four hours in length), mainly to appeal to and compete with subscription [[Video on demand|video-on-demand]] services (such as [[Hulu]] and [[Netflix]]) that have enabled voluntary "[[binge-watching]]" of television series.<ref name=":3">Perks, Lisa (2014). ''[https://www.amazon.com/Media-Marathoning-Lisa-Glebatis-Perks/dp/073919674X Media Marathoning: Immersions in Morality] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315094109/http://www.amazon.com/Media-Marathoning-Lisa-Glebatis-Perks/dp/073919674X |date=2016-03-15 }}.'' Lexington Books, pp. xv–xxxix.</ref> [[Free ad-supported streaming television]] (FAST) services often carry narrowly formatted linear channels that are devoted specifically to a single television series.<ref name="vty-fast-approach">{{cite web |last=Bridge |first=Gavin |date=July 1, 2022 |title=The FAST Approach to Streaming Content: A Special Report |url=https://variety.com/vip-special-reports/the-fast-approach-to-streaming-content-a-special-report-1235302920/ |access-date=August 5, 2022 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |quote=Another content trend to be aware of is what are known as single-show channels. These consist solely of episodes for one show, just like when cable networks would program marathon blocks.}}</ref> Perks attributes the contemporary marathoning trend to three factors: advances in content-delivery technologies, active audience behaviors, and increasing complexity of storytelling.<ref name=":3" />
Almost all marathons primarily feature [[rerun]]s of episodes already previously broadcast, although one may be used to lead into the premiere of a new episode. To compete with the then-typical practice of streaming services releasing entire seasons of original productions all at once, [[TBS (American TV channel)|TBS]] premiered the entire first season of ''[[Angie Tribeca]]'' as a marathon, running the 10 episodes on a loop for 25 hours.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McLevy |first=Alex |title=TBS wants you to spend 25 hours with Angie Tribeca |url=http://www.avclub.com/article/tbs-wants-you-spend-25-hours-angie-tribeca-227988 |access-date=2018-05-27 |work=[[The A.V. Club]] |language=en-US |archive-date=2015-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107212453/http://www.avclub.com/article/tbs-wants-you-spend-25-hours-angie-tribeca-227988 |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Length == Researchers have operationally defined media marathoning and binge-watching in different ways. Perks provides medium-specific definitions. Marathoners must have "viewed a television season in a week or less, watched three or more films from the same series in a week or less, or read three or more books from the same series in a month or less".<ref>Perks, Lisa. (2014). [https://www.amazon.com/Media-Marathoning-Lisa-Glebatis-Perks/dp/073919674X Media Marathoning: Immersions in Morality] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315094109/http://www.amazon.com/Media-Marathoning-Lisa-Glebatis-Perks/dp/073919674X |date=2016-03-15 }}. Lexington Books, p. xii.</ref> A Netflix-commissioned study defined "binge-watching" as viewing 2 to 6 episodes of the same show in one sitting.<ref>Brian Stelter, “[https://web.archive.org/web/20131213185652/http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/13/technology/netflix-binge/index.html Netflix Finds Plenty of Binge Watching, but Little Guilt],” CNN Money, December 13, 2013, accessed December 16, 2013.</ref> A 2014 TiVo survey defined binge-watching as watching 3 or more episodes of the same show in one day.<ref>Dina Gachman, [https://www.forbes.com/sites/dinagachman/2014/06/25/breaking-bad-house-of-cards-most-binge-watched-shows/ “Breaking Bad, House of Cards Most Binge-Watched Shows,”] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124135954/https://www.forbes.com/sites/dinagachman/2014/06/25/breaking-bad-house-of-cards-most-binge-watched-shows |date=2018-11-24 }} ''[[Forbes]]'', June 25, 2014, accessed July 2, 2014.</ref> A marathon generally has to have at least five episodes in a row to be considered as such; as writer Patrick Hipes noted, "some networks (promote) 3–4 episodes as a 'marathon,' but that's more like a [[5000 metres|5K]]."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2019/02/puppy-bowl-skip-super-bowl-wwe-counterprogramming-1202543854/|title=How Not To Watch The Super Bowl: Sunday's TV Counterprogramming|first=Patrick|last=Hipes|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=February 1, 2019|access-date=February 3, 2019|archive-date=February 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203055840/https://deadline.com/2019/02/puppy-bowl-skip-super-bowl-wwe-counterprogramming-1202543854/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Some of the longest-running marathons are the two ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|Twilight Zone]]'' marathons that air on [[Syfy]] in the United States on [[New Year's Day]] and [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]]; not counting early-morning [[infomercial]]s, each run for roughly three days straight. Holidays are a common time for marathons; for instance, on [[Thanksgiving]] in 2010, over 40 cable networks aired marathons of various lengths.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}
For a time, the longest continuous marathon in the history of television was a twelve-day marathon of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' that aired on [[FXX]], which aired non-stop from August 21, 2014, until September 2, 2014.<ref name=EverySimpsonsEver>{{cite web|last1=Bradley|first1=Bill|title='The Simpsons' Launches On FXX With Longest Continuous Marathon Ever|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/09/simpsons-launches-on-fxx-longest-marathon_n_5120709.html|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=9 April 2014|access-date=19 August 2014|archive-date=23 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723124514/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/09/simpsons-launches-on-fxx-longest-marathon_n_5120709.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The marathon featured the first 552 episodes of the series (every single episode that had already been released at the time) aired chronologically, including ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'', which FX Networks had already owned the rights to air. The first day of the marathon was the highest-rated broadcast day in the history of the network so far, the ratings more than tripled those of regular prime-time programming for FXX.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/the-simpsons-marathon-more-than-triples-primetime-audience-for-fxx-1201288542|title='The Simpsons' Marathon More Than Triples Primetime Audience for FXX|last1=Kissell|first1=Rick|date=22 August 2014|publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=24 August 2014|archive-date=24 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824135117/http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/the-simpsons-marathon-more-than-triples-primetime-audience-for-fxx-1201288542/|url-status=live}}</ref> Ratings during the first six nights of the marathon grew night after night, with the network ranking within the top 5 networks in basic cable each night.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kondolojy|first1=Amanda|title=FXX Paints Labor Day Weekend Yellow|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/08/28/fxx-paints-labor-day-weekend-yellow/297657/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906052136/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/08/28/fxx-paints-labor-day-weekend-yellow/297657/|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 September 2014|publisher=[[TV by the Numbers]]|access-date=2 September 2014}}</ref>
The record was surpassed in 2015 by [[VH1 Classic]], which broadcast a nineteen-day marathon of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' from January 28 to February 15, in honour of the program's 40th season (with its end date coinciding with the [[Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special|40th-anniversary special episode]] on NBC). The marathon primarily featured the series' most notable episodes in a reverse chronological order (beginning with [[Saturday Night Live (season 39)|season 39]] and concluding with its October 11, 1975 series premiere), along with blocks focusing on specific celebrities (such as [[Eddie Murphy]] and [[Justin Timberlake]]), a block of the program's retrospective episodes on February 15, as well as Saturday-night airings of films featuring alumni of the series (such as ''[[Black Sheep (1996 film)|Black Sheep]]'' and'' [[Wayne's World (film)|Wayne's World]]'').<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/1/14/7546265/snl-marathon-vh1-classic|title=VH1 Classic will run the "longest-ever" TV marathon with 19 days of Saturday Night Live|work=The Verge|access-date=2018-05-27|archive-date=2018-05-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527202320/https://www.theverge.com/2015/1/14/7546265/snl-marathon-vh1-classic|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/vh1-classic-to-run-433-hour-saturday-night-live-marathon-1201404896/|title=VH1 Classic To Run 433-Hour 'Saturday Night Live' Marathon|last=Steinberg|first=Brian|date=2015-01-14|work=Variety|access-date=2018-05-27|language=en-US|archive-date=2018-06-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143837/https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/vh1-classic-to-run-433-hour-saturday-night-live-marathon-1201404896/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Venue == Movie marathons may be hosted in a private residence or in movie theaters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scifimarathon.com/|title=The 24 Hour Annual Ohio Science Fiction Marathon|access-date=2 January 2015|publisher=scifimarathon.com}}</ref> One guide for hosting them notes that viewers should be able to come and go as they please.<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=A Year of Programs for Teens|author1=Alessio, A.J.|author2=Patton, K.A.|date=2007|publisher=American Library Association|isbn=9780838909034|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mtz4d9NrigcC|page=44|access-date=2 January 2015}}</ref>
== Food == Some marathons offer story-specific food choices, such as lembas and [[butterbeer]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/12/09/249827551/elevenses-and-then-some-how-to-prepare-a-feast-fit-for-a-hobbit|title=Elevenses And Then Some: How To Prepare A Feast Fit For A Hobbit|website=NPR.org|access-date=2019-12-02|archive-date=2020-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118094451/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/12/09/249827551/elevenses-and-then-some-how-to-prepare-a-feast-fit-for-a-hobbit|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sheknows.com/living/articles/835737/throw-a-family-friendly-harry-potter-movie-marathon/|title=Watch all the movies|first=Katie|last=Kavulla|date=July 11, 2011}}</ref> [[Popcorn]] is considered a staple for movie marathons.<ref name="google"/> Some people prefer to provide multiple flavors of popcorn, while others prefer to provide plain popcorn and flavoring separate so that participants can flavor it themselves.<ref name="google"/>
==See also== *[[Binge-watching]] *[[Doubleheader (television)]] *[[Omnibus (broadcast)]] *[[Telethon]]
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
[[Category:Television terminology]] [[Category:Television programming blocks|*]] [[Category:Entertainment events]]