The More You Watch, the More You Get?: Re-Examining the Effects of Binge-Watching on Entertainment Experiences

Abstract

Abstract. It is a popular notion that binge-watching – watching several episodes of a TV show in one sitting – enhances entertainment experiences compared to watching singular episodes. However, empirical results are contradictory, and the assumption of such effects is not well founded in theory. We thus re-examined this claim with an experiment ( n = 80) and a field study using tracking data ( n = 47). In the experiment, binge-watching had slightly negative effects on transportation, hedonic entertainment, and valence, but a positive effect on arousal. In the field study, there were no differences between the two viewing modes. We thus conclude that binge-watching per se does not affect the entertainment experience. This finding aligns with other recent research showing that binge-watching does not differ much from conventional and low-intensity media use and thus calls into question the usefulness of defining binge-watching solely based on the number of episodes in one sitting.