Devour or savour? Netflix reveals global binging habits

The term "binging" is well associated with Netflix viewing and that's no surprise. Like a bag of popcorn or gummy bears, I can choose to devour an entire bag or stay in control and just enjoy a bit. Ultimately it's my choice. Netflix binging is the same. Members who subscribe to the streaming service can choose to watch the shows on their own time and own terms. Not only do we chat about what shows we binge on but how we do it. 

Netflix has just released the Netflix Binge Scale that reveals binging habits globally examining the viewing habits of more than 100 seriealized TV series across more than 190 countries. From devouring to savouring a show, what hey found was really interesting.

When members are focused on finishing a series, they watch a little over two hours a day to complete a season and other interesting patterns have emerged from the findings.

Series like Sense8 and The 100 grab you, assault your senses, and as The Binge Scale shows, make it hard to pull away. The classic elements of horror and thrillers go straight for the gut, pushing the placement of series like The Walking Dead, Scream and The Fall towards the devour end of the scale. Likewise, comedies with a dramatic bent, like Orange is the New Black, Weeds and Grace and Frankie, seem to tickle our fancy and make it easy to say ‘just one more.’

It’s no surprise that complex narratives, like that of House of Cards and Bloodline, are indulged at an unhurried pace. Nor that viewers take care to appreciate the details of dramas set in bygone eras, like Mad Men and Narcos. Maybe less obvious are irreverent comedies like BoJack Horseman, Love and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. But the societal commentary that powers their densely layered comedy paired with characters that are as flawed as they are entertaining allow them to be savored.

METHODOLOGY: Netflix analyzed more than 100 serialized TV series across more than 190 countries between October 2015 and May 2016. The research examined member completion of the first season for all series. Data was only included for accounts that fully completed the season. Completion rates were organized into days and hours. The global median days to complete the first season of these series was five days. The median hours per session for completers overall was two hours and ten minutes. Series viewed less than two hours per day were identified as ‘savored.’ Series viewed more than two hours per day were identified as ‘devoured.’ Series were not restricted by launch dates, runtime or number of episodes. Where a series falls on The Netflix Binge Scale has no relation to viewership.