Survey: 7 in 10 U.S. TV Watchers are ‘Binge Viewers’

NEW YORK: In a new survey conducted by Miner & Co. Studios, seven out of ten U.S. TV watchers identified themselves as "binge viewers," defined as those who watch three or more episodes of one series in a single sitting.

The survey found that 17 percent of binge viewers do so on a daily basis, 63 percent weekly and 90 percent on a monthly basis. Of the respondents, 71 percent said binge viewing is "totally normal," and 59 percent considered it to be a harmless habit. Frequent binge viewers are more likely to associate positive qualities to binge viewing than infrequent viewers, seeing binge viewing as something that makes them the "life of the party" (260-percent more likely), "in the know" (77 percent) and "culture vultures" (58 percent).

“Binge viewing has redefined the impact of the word ‘next’ for the industry. It’s become a positive concept as viewers decide that, yes, they will watch the ‘next’ episode. Next now means ‘yes I’d like some more,’” said Robert Miner, the president of Miner & Co. Studio.

He added, “Additionally, our research shows that the way we consume entertainment continues to evolve—a pattern that we see repeated as viewers embrace and adapt to new platforms and choices. A great deal of attention has been paid, with good reason, to the role and impact of binge viewing on dramas such as Breaking Bad, House of Cards and Walking Dead, however we found that comedy is a favored binge-viewing genre that’s showing notable strength as well. At our core, we are wired to crave good stories that entertain us, and our TV-watching behavior—and addiction to binge viewing—isn’t boxed in by genre.”