New Netflix Binge Scale to Savour

When watching Netflix, do you “devour” or “savour” series?

The streaming giant has just released research that reveals how subscribers around the world view its content.

Using100 serialised TV series across more than 190 countries, Netflix’s “Binge Scale” found subscribers “blow through” shows like Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead but are “captivated” by the likes of House of Cards and Bloodline.

To see where you fit in, here’s the press release (note that not all titles can be streamed on Netflix NZ):

Netflix members around the world are making their own rules when it comes to watching TV. Instead of one episode per week, Netflix members choose to binge watch their way through a series – that is, on average, finishing an entire season in one week. Though binge watching is clearly the new normal, not all series are enjoyed the same way. Today Netflix unveils The Binge Scale, revealing which shows we devour and which we savour.

Netflix examined global viewing* of more than 100 serialized TV series across more than 190 countries and found when members are focused on finishing a series, they watch a little over two hours a day to complete a season. When organising series in relation to this benchmark, interesting patterns emerge, ranging from high energy narratives that are devoured to thought-provoking dramas that are savored.

Series like Sense8, Orphan Black** 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, American Horror Story and The Fall towards the devour end of the scale. Likewise, comedies with a dramatic bent, like Orange is the New Black, Nurse Jackie 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 Peaky Blinders and Mad Men. 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.

“As The Binge Scale indicates, the viewing experience of a series can range from the emotional to the thought-provoking,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President of Original Content at Netflix. “Netflix helps you to find a series to binge no matter your mood or occasion, and the freedom to watch that series at your own pace – whether that’s to appreciate the drama of Bloodline or power through Orange is the New Black.”

SAVOUR

• Irreverent Comedies:
  • Arrested Development, BoJack Horseman, Club de Cuervos, F is for Family, Love, Summer Heights High, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Wet Hot American Summer
• Political Dramas
  • Homeland, House of Cards, Occupied, The Good Wife, The West Wing
• Historical Dramas
  • Mad Men, Narcos, Peaky Blinders, The Americans
• Superhero Drama
  • Gotham, Marvel’s Daredevil, Marvel’s Jessica Jones, The Flash
• Crime Dramas
  • Better Call Saul, Bloodline, Fargo, The Blacklist, The Bridge, Twin Peaks
• Dramatic Comedies
  • Flaked, Grace & Frankie, Nurse Jackie, Orange is the New Black, Parenthood, Rescue Me, Weeds
• Action & Adventure
  • 24, Arrow, La Reina del Sur, Marco Polo, Outlander, Prison Break, The Last Kingdom, Turn, Vikings
• Sci-Fi
  • Ascension, Between, Heroes, Orphan Black, Sense8, The 100, The 4400, Under the Dome
• Horror
  • American Horror Story, Hemlock Grove, Penny Dreadful, Scream, The Walking Dead, Z Nation
• Thriller
  • Bates Motel, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, The Fall, The Following, The Killing

DEVOUR