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Are you addicted to binge watching?
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If you frequently find yourself binge watching TV shows, take solace in knowing you’re not alone.
Seventy percent of US consumers engage in marathon TV-watching sessions, devouring an average of five episodes per sitting, according to a new survey by consulting firm Deloitte. The 10th annual Digital Democracy Survey also found that nearly half of all US consumers subscribe to a streaming media service — the highest level in the survey’s history. And for teens and Millennials (ages 14-32) it’s even higher, around 66 percent on average.
The survey’s results, released Wednesday, underscore shifting tastes in how people watch TV. Increasingly, consumers are shedding their cable and satellite TV packages and opting for video found online or through streaming-media boxes such as Roku and Apple TV.
“The survey data indicates that consumers are more willing than ever to invest in services to watch whenever, wherever and on whatever device they choose,” Gerald Belson, Deloitte vice chairman and US media and entertainment sector leader, said in a statement.
More than half of US consumers subscribe to a video streaming service, a new study finds.
Screenshot by CNET
Deloitte found that nearly a third of us binge watch TV on a weekly basis, and that 53 percent of those consumers who do binge watch are more often in the mood for dramas.
Streaming services are also capturing more of our disposable income. The survey found that millennials age 26 to 32 who currently pay for streaming video have an average of three subscription services and that millennials age 14 to 25 value their streaming video subscriptions more than pay TV subscriptions.
Despite that shift, we aren’t giving video content our full attention. More than 90 percent of consumers surveyed said they multitask while watching TV, with millennials engaging in an average of four other activities, primarily browsing the Internet, using social networks and text messaging.
These shifts in TV consumption behavior are presenting new challenges and opportunities for companies trying to reach consumers, the study found.
“The on-the-go, always-connected consumer is driving cultural changes in content consumption that fundamentally impact how companies connect with and engage consumers,” Kevin Westcott, Deloitte’s leader of US media and entertainment consulting, said in a statement.
Coupled with the shift to mobile-based consumer experiences, “these changes are disrupting traditional business models — while at the same time paving the way for newer opportunities for technology, media and entertainment companies to adapt and evolve for the next generation,” he said.
