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

Wirz, Dominique Stefanie; Möri, Michelle; Ort, Alexander; Cordeiro, José A.; Castro, Deborah; Fahr, Andreas

doi:10.1027/1864-1105/a000355

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Journal article

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

BP2-STS

Wirz, Dominique Stefanie ORCID Universität Fribourg
Möri, Michelle ORCID Universität Fribourg
Ort, Alexander ORCID Universität Luzern
Cordeiro, José A. ORCID University of Lisbon
Castro, Deborah University of Groningen
Fahr, Andreas ORCID Universität Fribourg

09.08.2022

Published in:

Journal of Media Psychology. - 2023, vol. 35, no. 2, p. 99-108

English 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.

Faculty

Faculté des sciences économiques et sociales et du management

Department

Département des sciences de la communication et des médias

Language