Don’t binge-watch TV... you’ll lose the plot and enjoy it less

FOR many, there’s no better way to relax than by watching a whole TV series in one go. Or is there?

Yes, say scientists, who have found that watching one episode after another leaves people less satisfied – and unable to remember what happened.

In fact, the researchers predicted that it may actually ‘drive viewers away from future programmes’.

Binge- watching is quickly becoming the normal way to view a TV series, with ten million Britons admitting to skipping sleep just to watch a show.

To test the effect that watching a series all at once has on viewers, Australian researchers from the University of Melbourne split 51 students into three groups to watch a six-part TV series at different frequencies.

The first saw it on a weekly basis, the second daily and the third watched all six hours at once.

The results showed that binge watchers remembered the most the day after seeing the show – but could remember the least over a longer time. Weekly viewers showed the weakest memory after 24 hours but the best memory of the programme long-term.

However, when it came to enjoyment, binge-watchers liked the programme ‘ significantly less’ than those who watched it on a weekly or daily basis.

Overall, those who watched the series daily reported the greatest amount of enjoyment over time.

The research, published in the journal First Monday, stated: ‘Binge watching may affect both sustained memory of viewed content and self-reported show enjoyment levels.

‘This raises important questions for digital on-demand programme distributors concerning the balance between user preference and product satisfaction.’