Canadians binge watch TV better than Americans, eh?
That's what Grant McCracken, a Canadian cultural anthropologist, has learned after being hired by Netflix to study the binge-watching habits of Canadian and American TV lovers.
According to McCracken's study, 61 percent of the 1,500 Netflix customers surveyed said that they watch "at least two or three episodes back-to-back in one sitting every few weeks," according to the Hollywood Reporter. While 73 percent polled said "they have positive feelings towards binge streaming TV."
McCracken also explained why he felt binge watching had taken off recently. He said that it was "due to a perfect storm of better TV, our current economic climate and the digital explosion of the last few years." McCracken continued, "But this TV watcher is different, the couch potato has awoken. And now that services like Netflix have given consumers control over their TV viewing, they have declared a new way to watch."
So where do our Neighbors to the North figure into this? Well, McCracken observed that "Canadians watching TV astride the American colossus are just that much more engaged about analyzing what they view when streaming on their tablet and laptop, or consuming full-season DVD sets."
Whether Canadians or Americans binge watch better is up for debate, but with 76 percent of those polled saying that binge watching is their preferred way to watch their shows, it is clear that this marathon viewing is the "new normal."
That's what Grant McCracken, a Canadian cultural anthropologist, has learned after being hired by Netflix to study the binge-watching habits of Canadian and American TV lovers.
According to McCracken's study, 61 percent of the 1,500 Netflix customers surveyed said that they watch "at least two or three episodes back-to-back in one sitting every few weeks," according to the Hollywood Reporter. While 73 percent polled said "they have positive feelings towards binge streaming TV."
McCracken also explained why he felt binge watching had taken off recently. He said that it was "due to a perfect storm of better TV, our current economic climate and the digital explosion of the last few years." McCracken continued, "But this TV watcher is different, the couch potato has awoken. And now that services like Netflix have given consumers control over their TV viewing, they have declared a new way to watch."
So where do our Neighbors to the North figure into this? Well, McCracken observed that "Canadians watching TV astride the American colossus are just that much more engaged about analyzing what they view when streaming on their tablet and laptop, or consuming full-season DVD sets."
Whether Canadians or Americans binge watch better is up for debate, but with 76 percent of those polled saying that binge watching is their preferred way to watch their shows, it is clear that this marathon viewing is the "new normal."