Confessions of a 'guilty' couch potato understanding and using context to optimize binge-watching behavior

Viewers more frequently watch television content whenever they want, using devices they prefer, which stimulated 'Binge-watching' (consecutive viewing of television programs). Although binge-watching and health concerns have been studied before, the context in which binge-watching takes place and possibilities to use context to optimize binge-watching behavior have not. An in-situ, smartphone monitoring survey among Dutch binge-watchers was used to reveal context factors related to binge-watching and wellbeing. Results indicate that binge-watching is a solitary activity that occurs in an online socially active context. The amount of time spent binge-watching (number of episodes) correlates with the amount of free time and plays an important role in the effect of binge-watching on emotional wellbeing. Considering the difficulty viewers have to create an optimal viewing experience, these context factors are used as a framework to be able to design and promote a recommendation tool for TV streaming services to create a more optimal binge-watching experience.