Cape Town – A recent data study by Netflix revealed some interesting insights into the viewing patterns of internet TV consumers.
Breaking the mould is nothing new for Netflix who in 2013 broke TV’s biggest broadcasting rule by releasing all episodes of a series at once instead of spreading them out over a period of time.
This approach seems to have had an interesting effect on the time viewers choose to watch various genres of TV shows.
Netflix’s data indicates that most people prefer to watch comedies in the morning, dramas during lunch and thrillers at dinner.
This fascinating insight was revealed after the collection of six months of Netflix streaming data, accounting to roughly 77 million accounts per month.
The data was used to draw time of day insights from various markets. Peak viewing hours were identified based on weekday viewing as well as the hours certain genres peaked in relation to the genre’s overall share of daily viewing.
Where relevant, data was adjusted to account for time zones.
“For years our lives had to fit around television, now it’s the other way around,” said Cindy Holland, vice president of original content at Netflix.
“We’ve given consumers control and it’s interesting to see the behaviours that emerge when viewers aren’t tied to a schedule. And even more so to see that these routines are replicated by millions the world over.”
Comedy for breakfast
The Tanners from Full House may have originally premiered at 20:00 on linear television, but today, the Fullers are devoured before 08:00. While you might not expect popular parodies to stir laughs bright and early, around 06:00 members are 34% more likely to watch comedy compared to the rest of the day, with the new comedy wake-up block including the likes of the ladies from Grace and Frankie, Kimmy Schmidt (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Ethan Turner (Friends From College), to name a few.
High noon, high drama
When viewing schedules are set by people and not programmers, lunchtime becomes no binging exception. Across the world, drama accounts for nearly half (47%) of viewing between noon and 14:00 (an increase of 5% compared to the rest of the day). Midday streaming is especially prevalent in countries such as Brazil where members are 25% more likely to watch at this time compared to the rest of the world - who says shows like Narcos and Orange is the New Black are strictly evening fare?
Thrillers for dinner
It’s no surprise thrillers like Stranger Things and Breaking Bad are being enjoyed in the evening - globally the genre sees a 27% increase come 21:00. But viewers are kicking the Upside Down and Walter White out of bed by 23:00 and restoring balance with partners like Dev Shah (Master of None), Trevor Noah and Bojack Horseman before they hit the hay - apparently members around the world choose to start and end their day with a laugh.
Late night learning
Globally, 15% of streaming happens between midnight and 06:00 and even rises as high as 21% in Japan and South Korea. And what these night owl members are watching is not what you think - documentaries see a 24% increase in viewing during this time, including titles like Abstract, Making a Murderer and Planet Earth. The pursuit for quality entertainment (and knowledge) doesn’t dim when the lights go out.
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The info in this article was provided to Channel24 by Netflix.