Netflix and chill? The content-related and gratificational antecedents of binge-watching tendency

The purpose of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of binge-watching and its antecedents. By examining content-related factors such as preferences for TV formats, serial genres, and narrative structures this study extends current knowledge of factors influencing binge-watching behavior. Furthermore, this paper also analyzes factors previously identified in the literature, such as uses and gratifications, to provide a comprehensive understanding of their impact on binge-watching. A cross-sectional online survey with 1,959 German participants was conducted. Based on this data, multiple regression analysis was used to identify significant influences on audiences’ binge-watching behavior and to assess effect sizes. The analysis suggests that strong preferences for TV series in general and for specific serial genres (comedy/sitcom, crime, sci-fi and fantasy) positively influence peoples’ binge-watching tendencies, while preferences for horror and family serial genres as well as sports events have the opposite effect. In addition, specific narrative structures (dark tonality, extraordinary story setting) positively drive binge-watching as does the use of the streaming services Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Regarding uses and gratifications, fun, entertainment, arousal, and passing time also show a positive correlation with audience’s binge-watching tendency, while the desire to be informed about current events in the world correlates negatively. Overall, the model was able to explain 43.9% of the variance. This study offers insights into previously unexamined factors that relate to binge-watching while validating previously identified motivators in the German market. The study suggests that motivations and influences for binge-watching are even more varied than previously assumed and prove to be useful information for understanding why audiences watch TV programs back-to-back.