Binge-watching television series : an investigation into the motives behind the practice in Maltese young adults

Abstract

As viewing patterns continue to change with the advent of online streaming services, the practice of a phenomenon that is referred to as binge-watching has become common practice amongst a number of television viewers. Binge-watching is defined as watching two or more episodes of a television series in one sitting. This study investigates the salient motivations that lead one to binge-watch. Furthermore, this study investigates young adults’ intention to spend more time binge-watching in subsequent watch sessions. In order to explore the proposed research questions and hypotheses, a quantitative approach was utilised in this study. To collect data, a web-based questionnaire was distributed on social media. This dissertation’s questionnaire was modelled on similar research that investigated binge-watching behaviour in the past. All in all, the questionnaire yielded 194 responses. Findings indicated that social interaction and entertainment needs were key motivators behind binge-watching behaviour in Maltese young adults. These needs, as well as positive and negative gratification, indicated that they influenced young adults to spend more time binge-watching in subsequent watch sessions. Overall, the gathered results imply that whilst binge-watching can be recreational, viewers sometimes experience negative feelings following a binge-watching session. Knowing that habitual and prolonged binge-watching is in fact real, it is inferred that the possibility of binge-watching addiction is also real