Advanced Television

Original content tops binge viewing

July 1, 2015

Findings from the second annual TiVo Spring 2015 Binge Viewing Survey indicate that binge viewing, defined as viewing more than three episodes of a series in a day, has continued its meteoric rise in both perception and popularity. Negative perception of binge viewing has greatly decreased, to only 30 per cent of respondents (versus 53 per cent just two years ago). Overall, 92 per cent of respondents reported binge viewing at some point, demonstrating that binge viewing is a new norm.

“Binging is booming – not just during sparse stretches in the TV schedule over the summer or holidays, but year-round – and as programmers such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon continue to release original programming a full season at a time, we expect this trend to accelerate. TiVo’s new OnePass feature is ideally suited to maximise binge viewing efficiency – including full-season binging – across linear TV, VoD and OTT sources of content,” said TiVo Chief Research Officer Jonathan Steuer.

Original Streamed Series Rule

This year, consumers are loving original content being produced by Netflix. House of Cards and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt come in as the most recently binged shows. Of those surveyed, 66 per cent of season bingers use Netflix to watch their favourite programming in bulk. Season bingers are defined as viewers watching an entire season, or more, of a specific programme within a few weeks.

Why We Binge

Respondents cite the desire to “catch up” on TV (28 per cent) and “only having learned about the show after many episodes had already aired” (17 per cent) as their top drivers for binging.

  • Three in ten of those surveyed prefer to wait to binge-watch certain programmes until the entire season or series is over.

  • 32 per cent deliberately put off watching an entire season of a show until they can watch the whole season at once, a slight increase from the 2014 survey.

  • 61 per cent report they binge three or more episodes of the same show in one day, because they fell behind on their show.

  • 45 per cent admit they binge because they learned about the show after many episodes had already aired and needed to catch up.

  • 39 per cent say that some shows are better when watched back-to-back.

Risk Factors: Sadness, Lost Weekends and Lost Sleep

Ever heard of the binging blues? 52 per cent report experiencing feeling sad when they get to the end of binging a series. When it comes to time spent binging, 31 per cent said they have lost sleep due to binge-viewing, and 37 per cent have spent an entire weekend binging a show.

The Couple That Binges Together… Stays Together

If your idea of the perfect date involves a TV, playing your recorded shows or streaming an entire season on the couch with your loved one, you are in good company. 31 per cent say binge-viewing together is an important way they spend time with their spouse.

Categories: Articles, Catch Up, Consumer Behaviour, OTT, OTT, Premium, Research, VOD