If there’s one trend that really took off with home viewing this year, it’s binge-watching. Of course, when streaming services like Netflix and Hulu offer up quality original programming like Jessica Jones, as well as favorite episodes of hits like Friends and Seinfeld, it’s all too easy to get lost in the “just one more episode” run.
Here are some great statistics we dug up over the year revolving around the habits of binge-watching:
Perceptions about binge-watching are changing for the better.
This report, which we published back in June, discussed the small negatives that come with binge-watching, mainly with 52 percent of those who partake in it experiencing downtime once their favorite season comes to an end. In addition, 31 percent have managed to lose sleep over binging, mainly due to the quality of programming they’re watching.
TiVo indicated in the report that “binging is booming” with 92 percent of those surveyed indicating that they will finish watching a show’s season all the way to its completion even if many episodes lay ahead of them.
In addition, negative perception of “binge viewing” also dropped from 53 percent two years ago down to 30 percent. 61 percent manage to watch three or more episodes of the same show in a single day, while 32 percent prefer to wait until the time is right to binge.
Meanwhile, 45 percent state that they watch the show after hearing about it (either through social media or conversations with friends), and 40 percent state that “binging” on a show on a back-to-back basis is far better than waiting for a new episode to arrive days later.
People don’t seem to mind the commercials.
Despite the fact that a majority of viewers prefer to watch their programming without commercial interruption, there are a few who don’t mind putting up with an ad or two during their sessions, based on this report in July.
Per research from Annalect, 58 percent of viewers prefer to watch at least three episodes of a show in one sitting, missing out on most ads as a result. However, it did state that ads could be tolerated under the right circumstances, providing a break (for restroom, food or something else) before their next show comes on. A third of those polled indicated that they would be fine with the so-called “ad break”.
In addition, 20 percent of those binge watchers talk about ads with others, compared to 12 percent of non-bing viewers. 15 percent also share this information via social media, too and that could mean a big break for companies.
Although not all companies utilize ads with streaming, those that do seem to benefit from including them. Of course, those who want to skip them can always pay a premium fee (usually $9.99 monthly) to do so.
There are more options than ever.
2015 saw a number of significant new competitors in the streaming market. Along with dominant companies like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Instant Video, individual channels stepped up with their own on-demand services, including HBO, Showtime and even network channels like CBS, each with their own specially designed apps for use on set-top boxes and mobile devices.
This indicates that the audience is ready for more streaming entertainment, compared to just watching services on their regular television. The shift is easy to notice, and by 2016, we could see streaming take over altogether, creating a new trend of viewing for millions of fans. Plus, older services like Netflix and Hulu aren’t backing down from their original programming, with new seasons of series like House of Cards on the way, as well as original movies like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2, among other offerings.
No matter what a viewer might be in the mood for, there’s plenty to binge on, thanks to the many on-demand choices.
