Study says viewers will pay more to binge

Research into binge-viewing claims 40% of viewers surveyed would pay more to be able to access full seasons of shows rather than wait for weekly installments. Furthermore, frequent binge viewers are more four times more likely than regular viewers to upgrade a pay TV package and twice as likely not to skip commercials.

The findings come from a study of US viewers conducted by consultancy Miner & Co. Studio. In its Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop:  Binge-Viewing Is our New Favorite Addiction report, it identifies binge-viewing as watching three or more episodes of one series in a single sitting.

It found that 70% of viewers claim to be bingers. Of that group, 90% binge at least once a month, 63% on a weekly basis and 17% every day. The majority – 61% – of binge viewers are millennials it added.

Across the board 43% of frequent binge viewers watch more TV because of binge viewing, but 25% of all viewers surveyed said they disliked watching cluster of episodes because they “don’t have anything left to watch once they finish.”

The survey identified three main groups of binge-viewers: ‘Streamers’ (35%) who watch via Netflix and other OTT services; ‘Marathoners’ (18%) who mostly binge on TV marathons; and ‘DVRers’ (16 percent) who binge-view mostly via series they have recorded.

Robert Miner, president of Miner & Co. Studio said: “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.”

Miner added that by genre, drama takes a lot of the attention, but other genres are notably popular among bingers. “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,” he said.

Binge viewing is also associated with some negative side effects, and the study claimed frequent binge viewers reported feeling ‘sluggish’, neglecting other areas of their lives and even skipping showering and bathing because they are bingeing.

The positive effects among bingers are a sense of being ‘in the know’ and ‘culture vultures’, the report said.