Seven reasons to binge-watch TV shows

Netflix

You might subscribe to a streaming service like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon. Or you might rely on ad-supported venues like Crackle or the online streaming sites of individual broadcast and cable networks.

marvels-daredevil
Marvel’s Daredevil was a popular binge-watching option for Netflix subscribers

Or you might just opt to watch TV shows via iTunes, DVD, Blu-ray … or even off-the-air recordings you set up on your DVR.

In any case, if you watch three or more episodes of a TV series during one sitting, the TV world classifies you as a binge-watcher. If you don’t binge-watch, you probably should get into it because it’s a great way to enjoy TV shows. Here are seven reasons why ….

1. It’s Like Reading A Book.
Imagine taking a novel off a bookshelf, reading one chapter, putting the book back on the shelf and not reading the next chapter until exactly the same day and time the following week. No one does that. Reading one chapter after another lets you get engaged in a book and its assorted characters. It makes sense to do the same with a TV series in order to get engaged in it, too.

2. You Control Your TV Schedule.
Too often, TV networks put good shows into lousy time slots that conflict with other good shows. Or they take a great show you’ve enjoyed on a particular night and shift it to a night that suits the network rather than you. Then there are reruns, pre-emptions and all sorts of other things beyond your control. Binge-watching puts the power back in your hands. You decide when to watch a particular show – and how much you want to watch.

3. Catching Up Is Easier.
OK, so everyone in the office has been talking about that one “hot show” and you feel like you’re out of the loop. Or you’re just embarrassed to admit you’ve never seen what everyone is talking about. A night or two of marathon viewing can easily get you back on track – and back into those coffee-break conversations.

4. A Fun Way To Revisit The Classics.
There’s been a lot of great TV series over the years. Binge-watching is a perfect way to enjoy TV hits of the past that you’ve never seen – or to revisit some old favorites that you feel like seeing again.

5. A Show Gets Canceled? No Sweat!
So, you’ve been watching a new series and you’re really hooked. Suddenly, the show gets canceled after only three episodes. You feel like you’ve been ripped off and have wasted your time. Instead of watching the show on the air each week, binge-watching lets you get into a show once you know it’s sticking around. And, even if a show is canceled, completed episodes that haven’t aired usually still show up online. Then again, maybe you opted to record the episodes on a DVR. If the series gets picked up, you can jump in and binge-watch. If the series is canceled, you can just hit “Delete.”

7. Everybody’s Doing It.
Well, not everybody. But the ninth annual Digital Democracy Survey conducted by Deloitte LLP revealed back in April that 53 per cent of the 2,000 people surveyed (aged 14 and up) stream TV shows on a monthly basis, compared to 45 per cent who prefer to watch TV live. The study also showed that 68 per cent do some sort of marathon TV viewing from time to time – and that 31 per cent engage in binge-watching at least once a week. In other words, it’s a growing trend, so jump on the bandwagon.