LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwired - Jan 7, 2014) - TiVo Research and Analytics, Inc. (TRA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TiVo Inc. (
The purpose of the study was to determine which programs are most frequently binge-watched, when binge-viewing occurs and why viewers are binging. TiVo's binge-viewing analysis tracked daily viewing patterns. For this study, binge-viewing was defined as having watched three or more episodes of a given program in single day. TiVo Research found that one in four hour-long TV programs was viewed as part of a viewing binge and nearly one-fifth of every thirty-minute program was viewed as part of a binge.
Breaking Bad Binges Most Common
Binging habits are fairly consistent across weekdays, with a slight (four percent) increase on the weekends. The two most predominantly-binged genres are dramas (e.g., Breaking Bad, Grey's Anatomy, The Walking Dead) and crime dramas (e.g. CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Bones, Castle), followed in popularity by reality, sitcoms and home improvement programming. The top five binged programs during the survey period were:
Rank | Network | Top Binged Programs Aug-Oct 2013 |
1 | AMC | Breaking Bad |
2 | ABC | Castle |
3 | CBS | NCIS |
4 | NBC | Law & Order |
5 | AMC | The Walking Dead |
Binge viewing between August and October 2013 was influenced significantly by the availability and seasonality of TV programming schedules. For example, number-one-ranked Breaking Bad ended its five-season run with a stunning conclusion on September 29, and large numbers of viewers binged on the show to "catch up" before the finale. Similarly, number-five-ranked The Walking Dead began its fourth season on October 13, spurring heavy viewing of older episodes to "catch up" during the measurement period. Program structure is also an issue: The other three remaining programs in the top five are crime dramas that are very consistent in structure from one episode to the next and have minimal story arcs that extend across programs, thereby making them easy to follow even if they are viewed out of sequence. The similarity from episode to episode, combined with the fact that these shows have been on the air for many years and run heavily in syndication, make them all prime fodder for binging.
Binge Viewers Watch Solo
In addition to this viewership analysis, TiVo Research also fielded a consumer survey about binge-viewing in order to understand the circumstances under which viewers typically binge and what motivates them to do so. Perhaps unsurprisingly, survey results show that binging is a lonely habit: more than half of bingers report never or rarely binging with others. The primary reported motivator for binge-viewing is "to catch up on missed episodes," followed closely by "to improve the viewing experience and maintain continuity."
"This study demonstrates how extremely common binge-viewing has become," said TiVo Chief Research Officer Jonathan Steuer. "The control and convenience provided by TiVo lets users watch TV their way. TiVo Roamio is the perfect binge-viewing platform, as it enables viewers to watch their favorite shows back-to-back on a single device, whether those programs come from broadcast, cable, over-the-top or on-demand sources."
TiVo's viewership analysis is based on aggregated, anonymous, second-by-second audience measurement data from a sample of 171,709 anonymous households with the Emmy-award winning TiVo® service. The analysis compared set-top box viewing for live and up to seven days of time-shifting, from August to October 2013. TiVo also conducted an online survey of 23,180 households from March through April 2013. Of the survey participants, more than 95 percent were TiVo subscribers; the remaining participants were recruited online.
TiVo Research also helps advertisers, agencies and television networks improve advertising targeting, accountability and return on media investment within the Automotive, Consumer Packaged Goods, and Pharmaceutical industries, as well as a growing number of advertisers with their own proprietary customer marketing databases. To learn more about TiVo Research's capabilities and services please visit www.tivoresearch.com.
About TiVo Research and Analytics, Inc. (TRA)
TiVo Research and Analytics, Inc. (TRA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TiVo Inc. (
About TiVo Inc.
Founded in 1997, TiVo Inc. (
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