Towards a psychological approach to on-demand TV series streaming and binge-watching (editorial)

Video streaming platforms (e.g., Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video) have been expanding at a fast pace in the past years. Combining ease of use (affordability and wide accessibility through just about any internet-connected device), sophisticated design features optimising user’s experience, and entire seasons of TV series available on-demand at one’s convenience, these services are now part of millions of TV series viewers’ daily routines. Most importantly, such developments translated into drastic changes in viewing patterns. In this context, binge-watching (i.e., watching multiple episodes of a TV series back-to-back) has quickly become the new normative mode of viewing TV shows, especially among young generations [Rubenking & Bracken, 2021; Statista, 2020]. This practice also increased following the successive waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which strict lockdown measures were imposed in many jurisdictions [Aghababian et al., 2021; Dixit et al., 2020; Sigre-Leirós et al., 2023]. In recent years, research has emerged to explore the correlates and consequences of binge-watching. One line of research investigated the attractiveness of binge-watching from an audience perspective, focusing on entertainment processes and outcomes. However, the results of these studies were largely inconclusive [Flayelle et al., 2020; Wirz et al. 2023]. At the same time, another line of studies has demonstrated that some patterns of this viewing practice might be associated with mental and physical health issues [Flayelle et al., 2020; Gadino et al. 2023]. Moreover, we observed a growing tendency to view binge-watching as a potential addictive disorder [Forte et al, 2021; Paschke et al., 2022; Riddle et al., 2018], thus engendering risks of pathologisation, stigmatisation, and over-simplification of a multi-determined and complex phenomenon [Flayelle et al., 2019].