LOS GATOS, Calif – Netflix is taking credit for the rise of the term “binge watching”.
According to a recent survey conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Netflix among nearly 1,500 TV streamers, (online U.S. adults who stream TV shows at least once a week), binge watching is a widespread behavior among this group, with 61% saying they binge watch regularly.
If the common perception of binge watching was a weekend-long, pajama-wearing marathon of TV viewing, survey respondents don't see it that way. A majority (73%) defined binge watching as watching between 2-6 episodes of the same TV show in one sitting. And there's no guilt in it. Nearly three quarters of TV streamers (73%) say they have positive feelings towards binge streaming TV.
Other highlights from the survey include:
– Among those who ever stream multiple episodes of a TV series in a row, more than one-third (38%) most like to do so solo; however, a combined 51% prefer to watch with at least one other person;
– 39% of TV streamers who prefer to ‘save’ TV shows to watch at a later date choose to stream saved series or seasons when the person they want to watch with is available;
– 76% of TV streamers say watching multiple episodes of a great TV show is a welcome refuge from their busy lives;
– 65% of TV streamers said that if they took a digital time out, they would still want to watch TV;
– 80% of TV streamers say they would rather stream a good TV show than read a friend's social media posts.
"Our viewing data shows that the majority of streamers would actually prefer to have a whole season of a show available to watch at their own pace," said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos, in the news release. "Netflix has pioneered audience choice in programming and has helped free consumers from the limitations of linear television. Our own original series are created for multi-episodic viewing, lining up the content with new norms of viewer control for the first time."
The survey was conducted online within the United States between November 25 – 27, 2013 among 3,078 adults aged 18 and older, of whom 1,496 stream TV shows at least once a week, by Harris Interactive on behalf of Netflix via its Quick Query omnibus product.
