Study: 66% of Streaming Viewers Prefer Binge-Watching; Services Must Combat Post-Binge Funk
When you’ve had a rotten day, there’s nothing quite like turning on a familiar show or movie and wrapping yourself up in it like a blanket. If this sounds like a daily ritual that you’re accustomed to, don’t feel too bad; a majority of people look at TV the same way, according to a new survey commissioned by Plex and performed by OnePoll.
The survey found that 67% of respondents said that the best cure for a bad day was to watch a comfort show or movie. This is one major reason on-demand streaming is so popular; users who have a specific comfort title know exactly where to stream it, and can pull it up in seconds.
Mood has a heavy impact on what people stream, according to the study. A person’s emotional state influences the TV decisions of 81% of the survey’s participants, and 49% say they can’t watch stressful or heavy topics unless they’re in the right mood. Americans report feeling the emotional effects of their chosen content for up to two hours after they’ve finished watching, with men feeling the impact longer (2.4 hours) than women (1.6 hours) on average.
The most important data in the survey for streamers pertains to binge-watching. Two-thirds (66%) of respondents said that they prefer to binge a show rather than watch it incrementally, but there’s a catch for services. Almost half — 49% — of users who said they enjoyed binge-watching also said they fell into a post-binge funk after finishing a title, not knowing what to turn to next.
This is particularly important for streamers like Netflix to keep in mind. That service uses the binge-release model in most cases, and it’s crucial for streamers that employ this method to ensure they have a solution — a new, related title — to solving the post-binge blues. That may entail pulling more library shows that offer lean-back viewing, or ensuring a steady pipeline of prestige content is always available.
The survey also showed which titles users associate most with a particular emotion. Shows like “Friends” and “Modern Family” were predictably associated with good moods, while “Grey’s Anatomy” was the most-named show when users thought of emotional titles. Understandably, the largest portion of survey respondents identified “Breaking Bad” with stress.
Streaming can be a big part of a person’s emotional state, as the survey from Plex and OnePoll make clear. Streaming platforms must be aware of the effect they have on a user’s emotional state, and do everything they can to ensure customers have plenty of options across different genres, especially if that streamer uses the binge-release model.