I, like everyone I know, now do what has been called ‘binge’ viewing. You know the drill – cue up a season or two of your favorite show and then watch them back-to-back over the course of a few days. For me, it started with Lost.
Just as the series ended, we started to watch it as a family – often three or four episodes at a sitting. Services like Netflix and Hulu have just made it so darn convenient to catch up on shows you may have missed in their original run. Even the networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) toyed with the idea before falling back in their old school fox hole of doling it out on their schedule.
I did a survey to learn about the growth of binge viewing. There were some interesting results:
69% still only binge watch a few shows
31% binge watch the majority of their shows
Men (71%) do more binge watching than women (48%) by a good margin.
There is a direct correlation between age and binge viewing – younger people binge on their television viewing much more than their elders.
The most interesting finding from the survey however was the relationship between household income and binge viewing. The less money you make, the more binge television you watch. It shouldn’t come as a surprise though, that wealthier people watch less television.
When Netflix released Daredevil recently, they did something interesting. They released the entire first season on the same date. It is a nod to the way television viewing has changed.
Releasing a brand new show as a full season is revolutionary, but more importantly, it is a response to the market. Well played, Netflix.
This is definitely a trend that’s here to stay.
By Chris Doelle
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