When it comes to binge watching TV shows, not all content is the same. Netflix looked at global viewing patterns of over 100 television series in more than 190 countries between October 2015 and May 2016 to find subscribers spend an average of two hours and ten minutes a day when they’re determined to binge watch a season.
Using this information as a standard, Netflix further analyzed what kind of content people enjoy binging and what shows members would rather watch over an extended period. The company found that shows like Sense8, The 100 and Orange is the New Black rate high on their binge scale, while horror and thrillers like The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and The Fall are on the other end of the spectrum.
“It's no surprise that complex narratives, like that of House of Cards and Bloodline, are indulged at an unhurried pace,” writes Netflix in a release. “Nor that viewers take care to appreciate the details of dramas set in bygone eras, like Peaky Blinders and Mad Men. Maybe less obvious are irreverent comedies like BoJack Horseman, Love and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
In their analysis, Netflix only used data for subscriber accounts where users fully completed a season. Using the viewing threshold of two hours and ten minutes, Netflix categorized consumption higher than that rate as “devoured” and below that rate as “savored.”
"As The Binge Scale indicates, the viewing experience of a series can range from the emotional to the thought-provoking," said Cindy Holland, vice president of original content at Netflix, in a press release. "Netflix helps you to find a series to binge no matter your mood or occasion, and the freedom to watch that series at your own pace - whether that's to appreciate the drama of Bloodline or power through Orange is the New Black."
Below is a breakdown of what Netflix shows fall under the categories on a scale of "Savor" to "Devour."
SAVOR
Irreverent Comedies
Arrested Development, BoJack Horseman, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Love, F is for Family, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp
Political Dramas
House of Cards, Occupied, The West Wing
Historical Dramas
Mad Men, Narcos, Peaky Blinders
Superhero Drama
Gotham, Marvel's Daredevil, Marvel's Jessica Jones, The Flash
Crime Dramas
Better Call Saul, Bloodline, The Blacklist, Twin Peaks
Dramatic Comedies
Flaked, Grace & Frankie, Nurse Jackie, Orange is the New Black, Parenthood, Weeds
Action & Adventure
Arrow, Marco Polo, Prison Break, Turn
Sci-Fi
Ascension, Between, Heroes, Sense8, The 100, The 4400
Horror
American Horror Story, Hemlock Grove, Scream, The Walking Dead, Z Nation
Thriller
Bates Motel, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, The Fall, The Following, The Killing
DEVOUR
