Most Video Streamers Are Binge Viewers

Nielsen says that a large share of subscribers to over-the-top video streaming services are binging on the programming they want to see.

According to the research company’s most recent cross-platform report, 88% of Netflix users and 70% of Hulu Plus users said they streamed three or more episodes of the same TV show in one day.

At the same time, Nielsen says 58% of users prefer to view shows when they do not have to abide by schedules other than their own and can watch several episodes consecutives.

Netflix has been getting a lot of attention for its original programming, and 45% of Netflix subscribers surveyed by Nielsen say the type of shows they watch when they stream are original shows, such as House of Cards and Lilyhammer.

According to Nielsen’s figures, streaming services have increased in popularity. The percentage of people in the U.S. who use or subscriber to Netflix is 38%, up from 31% last year. The percentage of people watching Hulu is 18%, up from 12%, with 6% using Hulu plus, up from 4%. Nielsen says 13% use Amazon Prime, up from 7%.

Among Netflix users, 44% watch on computers, down from 48% last year. To watch Netflix, viewers also use mobile phones (23%, up from 11%), Wii game consoles (21%, down from 26%), Internet-enabled TVs (17%, up from 12%), regular TVs with the computer connected (16%, up from 11%), PS3s (16%, up from 12%), iPads (15%, up from 5%), other tablets (15%, up from 6%), Internet-connected Blu-ray players (15%, up from 14%), Xbox Live (14%, up from13%), and Roku (11%, down from 12%).

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.