LONDON, 27th February: Watching your favourite shows was once confined to the privacy of your own home, but today Netflix shines a light on bingeing on the go… and some of the perils that accompany this new behaviour. Have you ever experienced the hot breeze of a stranger’s breath on your neck whilst you try to focus on Narcos? The craning of an additional head over your shoulder? Don’t worry you are not alone, today Netflix looks at how we binge in public and the challenges we must overcome.
Netflix has found that watching fan favourites such as Stranger Things in public is turning traditional viewing habits Upside Down. Nearly half of Brits (46%) binge in public, and those in the East of England take the The Crown of being Britain’s bingeing capital with over two thirds (65%) of their residents bingeing on the go. Perhaps it’s no surprise Scots binge the least in public as they spend the shortest amount of time commuting on average*.
Bingeing in public comes with its own set of challenges:
- 44% of Brits get annoyed by nosey onlookers with 20% physically moving to avoid these series snoopers
- The capital’s commuters, often packed in like sardines, find those beady eyes over their shoulder their biggest bugbear (50%), whilst nearly one in three (29%) try to shake them off
- The East of England proves to be the most un-phased region, with 39% getting annoyed at others sharing their screen, but only 14% act on their frustration and move position
So, who are these series snoopers? Who are Netflix’s nosiest commuters? The North West takes the top spot with over two thirds (39%) of Netflix members admitting to bingeing over someone’s shoulder. The dangers of ‘eaves-watching’ are not without risks though, with 14% of people accidentally spotting show spoilers. If you want to learn about How to Get Away with Murder (or at least avoid the spoiler) it’s best to eaves-watch in Wales, as only 10% have had a show spoiled.
Surprisingly it is no longer a taboo to talk to strangers. Over a quarter (26%) of public bingers have had their show or movie interrupted by a fellow passenger to start a conversation about what they’re watching. However, if you want an uninterrupted bingeing session then it’s best to jump on that South West train, with only 6% of the region experiencing a mid-binge intrusion.
However, with over 30 million people across the UK bingeing on the go, these new viewing habits are on the rise! Netflix has found that its UK members are breaking British protocol, as commuters and the likes are trading their stiff upper lips for public displays of emotion. When watching in public, Brits aren’t as stoic as our reputation suggests:
- Nationally, one in ten (10%) admitted to a good cry al fresco and almost half (45%) of UK viewers have confessed to laughing out loud whilst watching on the go
- Londoners are more than twice as likely (21%) as the average Brit to emotionally invest in their characters by shedding a tear in public
- Social awkwardness hasn’t totally disappeared, as over a million Londoners (12%) have felt embarrassed by public viewing and 11% have stopped a risqué show
We’ve all had that moment when one scene gets a little too steamy, or too gory, for our public viewing. UK members consider the most inappropriate scenes to be those which involve: drugs (62%), torture (53%) and sex (51%). If you’re a Narcos fan from Nottingham look away now; The East Midlands prove to be the most ‘proper’ region, as residents are appalled at content involving drugs (67%), torture (53%) and sex (54%).
As average commuting time in England has risen from 48 minutes to an hour and one in seven spend as much as two hours travelling to work each day ***, it’s no surprise that 26% of train travellers use the journey as the perfect opportunity to seamlessly slip back into their shows whilst on the go. And if you haven’t got on board with the trend just yet, make sure you download before hopping on a train to Scotland. If you don’t, you may feel left out, as one in three Scots keeping entertained with a binge on their train travels. Although if your commute is a little further, 48% of people watch their favourite content on a plane, with the Northern Irish being the most likely to binge in the air.
It’s not only on public transport where Netflix subscribers are making the most of their free time, they even slip in a cheeky binge at work. One in five (21%) British workers binge in their work-place and Londoners are almost twice as likely than the rest of the country to do so (39%). Next in line for work watchers are West Midlanders (24%) and Scots (23%), while the Northern Irish are more restrained, with just 10% watching at work. Members have also been found to use Netflix as an office icebreaker, with 35% of people discussing the shows they’ve watched on their way to work, and nearly two thirds (64%) talking in general about shows whilst at work.