Admit it, you're guilty of 'binge-racing' new TV shows
You know the feeling. There's a new show coming to Netflix on Friday, and you've got to watch it all by Monday to talk to everyone. On second thought, maybe you want to finish in a day so you can post about it. Actually, it might be best to finish on day one so that you don't get spoiled – you know what, screw it. Let's binge this bad boy at midnight.
If you identified with the above paragraph on a spiritual level, you're what Netflix calls a "binge racer"; someone who races to get through already bingeable shows in mere hours when it takes other people days, weeks, or months. Netflix found that binge racing has increased 20 times over the past three years. What used to be a pastime reserved for the most committed television fans is now sweeping the nation – and the world.
Using viewership data, Netflix defined a binge racer as someone who has finished a full season of a TV show in 24 hours or less. Even if you were an early adopter, there are now some 8.4 million binge racers in the world, according to Netflix – even a one-time trial counts. In 2013, some 200,000 people had done this, and now it's up to 4 million and counting.
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Top Binge Raced Shows In the US:
1. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life 2. Fuller House 3. Marvel's The Defenders 4. The Seven Deadly Sins 5. The Ranch 6. Santa Clarita Diet 7. Trailer Park Boys 8. F is for Family 9. Orange Is the New Black 10. Stranger Things 11. Friends from College 12. Atypical 13. Grace and Frankie 14. Wet Hot American Summer 15. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt 16. House of Cards 17. Love 18. GLOW 19. Chewing Gum 20. Master of None
Top Binge Racing Countries (percentage of binge racers as it compares to overall country membership):
1. Canada 2. United States 3. Denmark 4. Finland 5. Norway 6. Germany 7. Mexico 8. Australia 9. Sweden 10. Brazil 11. Ireland 12. United Kingdom 13. France 14. New Zealand 15. Peru 16. Netherlands 17. Chile 18. Portugal 19. Italy 20. United Arab Emirates
"There’s a unique satisfaction that comes from being the first to finish a story – whether it's the final page of a book or the last, climactic moments of your favorite TV show." said Brian Wright, Vice President, Original Series, in a Netflix press release. “Netflix allows you to watch in a way you never could before, and there's nothing better than seeing a show engage our members and ignite a passion for viewing.”
Anyway, Stranger Things premieres Oct. 27.
Topics Netflix
Proma Khosla is a Senior Entertainment Reporter writing about all things TV, from ranking Bridgerton crushes to composer interviews and leading Mashable's stateside coverage of Bollywood and South Asian representation. You might also catch her hosting video explainers or on Mashable's TikTok and Reels, or tweeting silly thoughts from @promawhatup.
