A new survey commissioned by Plex and conducted by OnePoll sheds light on the synergistic relationship between mood and viewing.[i] It also reveals that viewers still prefer bingeing, except in one specific circumstance.
Mood’s influence on viewing
Our mood certainly influences the type of content we want to watch. And it looks like we frequently pick what we watch as a salve for sour disposition. Survey participants were asked if when they were not in the best mood (i.e., stressed, overwhelmed, sick, sad, etc.), they were more likely to watch a “comfort TV show or movie” over something else. Two-thirds of the survey participants agreed at least somewhat with the statement.
Does that mean we must be in a good mood to watch something heavy or stressful? Not necessarily! Only half of the survey participants agreed they needed to be in the right mood to watch heavy or stressful shows.
Viewing’s influence on mood
Picking what we watch carefully based on our mood is very important because, for many people, a show or movie can greatly impact our mood for hours after watching it. Half of the survey participants agreed that what they watch can change their mood for the rest of the day. Moreover, 70% said that a movie or show had turned their day from bad to good.
So, perhaps watching comfort TV after a tough day at work really does have the power to turn that frown upside down.
Genre preference before bed
When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, two genres stand out as having the greatest impact. Horror, unsurprisingly, was nominated by the most people (half) as to be avoided before bed. Conversely, Comedy was the genre the most (half) people said they liked to watch before bed. Action and drama were also popular pre-bed genres, while suspense/thriller and true crime were to be avoided.
Binge-watching has its limits
Though Netflix continues to release most episodes of a new title and or show season all at once, other SVOD services prefer the tried and trusted weekly release model. The feeling is that weekly releases discourage binge and bolt behavior, where people sign-up for a service, binge a specific show, and cancel after they are done. But weekly releases are not aligned with how people want to watch, according to the Plex data.
The company asked survey participants which statement they most agreed with:
- I like to binge-watch shows
- I like to watch shows one episode at a time, either per day or per week.
Two-thirds of recipients said they prefer to binge-watch. In other words, bingeing remains as popular as it has ever been.
Nevertheless, when it comes to a show a viewer loves, bingeing goes out the window for most. Survey participants were asked if they agreed or disagreed with the following statement:
- “I have purposely drawn-out watching episodes of a show so that I could make it last longer.”
53% agreed with the statement, and 27% disagreed. However, the data doesn’t necessarily support the weekly release strategy. Viewers want to prolong the enjoyment of a show, not be forced to watch on an artificial schedule decided by the provider.
[i] This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 Americans who subscribe to streaming services was commissioned by Plex between May 15 and May 21, 2023. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
