Survey: Brits favour boxset date-night viewing
June 27, 2019
A nationwide survey of 2,000 people found that twice as many Britons spend quality time streaming boxsets than being cuddled up in the back row of the movies.
With endless hours of content available via streaming services for a relatively small fee, it’s unsurprising that viewers are choosing better value for money at home.
But even our old sofa viewing habits appear to have been disrupted.
The availability of on-demand content means streaming has now overtaken ‘recorded content’ as a way to watch non-live shows.
According to the survey, commissioned by netgem.tv and conducted by Opinium Research, only two-thirds of UK adults (65 per cent) use their record function to record programmes compared to 81 per cent who stream content.
There is a generational divide too, as those aged 55+ are more likely to record than younger adults (69 per cent vs 60 per cent, respectively).
A night of boxset binging may be the new way to spend a night in, but it is not without its tensions.
Two in five UK adults (40 per cent) admitted that choosing what series to watch has developed into a full-blown argument, with 6 per cent saying that this happens often.
This may be a result of the time we spend scrolling through the menu of what to watch. On average it takes more than five minutes to pick a show.
And once we have chosen, the typical amount of time we’ll give a series before deciding whether to abandon it is two episodes.
The issue of ‘boxset cheating’ – i.e., skipping ahead on a series that you’re supposed to be watching as a couple – is also a real problem for streamers.
Two-fifths (39 per cent) of UK adults admit that they’ve broken boxset etiquette by watching episodes when their viewing partner isn’t around.
According to the study, box set viewers stream an average of three hours of content per week.
Streaming content has now become the new normal for younger generations, especially millennials who have grown up in a connected age.
Incredibly, one in five (20 per cent) 18-34s have now given up on ‘offline’ altogether, saying all of their TV content is now streamed.
“The advent of online, on-demand TV content is allowing us more about what people really want to watch,” advised Sylvain Thevenot, Managing Director of netgem.tv. “They want to enjoy the best shows, movies, series, games, but on their terms.”
“British TV lovers are tired of being ripped off by traditional pay-TV packages that shove them hundreds or channels they do not watch. And with so much content ready to stream, why would anyone bother recording anymore?”
“Of course, the sheer amount of series, movies and live programming can make the task of choosing what to watch tricky.”
“But, thankfully, services like netgem.tv tailor content to your viewing preferences, meaning you can sit back and relax on the sofa, without the need for too many arguments over the popcorn.”