Americans thinking of cutting ties with some of their streaming services
Seventy percent of Americans admitted to watching even more TV now than when the pandemic started in March 2020, a new study revealed.
Of those watching more than last year, the average person is streaming three additional hours a day — on top of what they were doing in March of 2020.
The survey of 2,000 Americans, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Tubi, found the pandemic has added stress in an unusual area.
With many activities off the table over the past year, Americans felt the need to keep up with the cultural zeitgeist, with one in three admitting they felt more pressure than ever to press play on whatever was trending because there was nothing else to do.
Of those surveyed, 31% blamed social media for creating a socially distanced peer pressure effect in the pandemic while 28% said their friends made them feel like they just had to keep up.
The study revealed that even though 55% used streaming as an escape from their daily lives, trending shows didn’t necessarily live up to the hype — “Tiger King” has officially been hailed as the most overhyped show of the pandemic, according to the findings.
“I Care A Lot” and “Schitt’s Creek” rounded out the top three things respondents watched that they thought were overrated.
Shows about British aristocracy didn’t fare well either, with “Bridgerton” and “The Crown” coming in fourth and fifth place.
Also ranking in the top 10 overrated pandemic offerings were “The Mandalorian,” “Wandavision” and “The Last Dance.”
Despite continued high rates of streaming, the pandemic took a financial toll on many Americans, so one in two (49%) want to find ways to pay less for their streaming services than they did in 2020.
Nearly a third (32%) are planning on canceling the streaming services they’re currently using once they get out and about, with one in three (33%) citing cost as the reason they’re planning to cancel a subscription.
Of those planning on cutting back their streaming services, Netflix was most likely to get the chop (46%), followed by Hulu (34%) and Amazon Prime (34%).
Over the past twelve months, half of those surveyed (50%) also turned to free, ad-supported streaming services as a way to cut costs (29%) and supplement their subscription services (39%).
“Movies and TV shows served as a much-needed escape and form of entertainment over this past year,” added a Tubi spokesperson, “though as we see the light at the end of the tunnel, Americans are likely to be more discerning around how much they’re spending on subscriptions once life returns to normal.”
Ultimately, the top thing that respondents care about in a streaming service is having a large variety of titles to choose from — with 40% noting that a wide library of movies and TV shows is important to them in a streaming service, followed by the service being free or affordable (38%).
“Whether you’re aiming to cut costs as we come out of the pandemic, or you’re looking for new movies and TV shows to watch beyond your usual fare, exploring a free, ad-supported streaming service is a great budget-conscious way to find new titles you’ll love,” said a spokesperson for Tubi.
TOP 20 OVER-HYPED TITLES OF THE PANDEMIC
“Tiger King” 26%
“I Care A Lot” 15%
“Schitt’s Creek” 14%
“Bridgerton” 13%
“The Crown” 13%
“The Mandalorian” 12%
“The Last Dance” 11%
“WandaVision” 11%
“Love Is Blind” 11%
“The Haunting of Bly Manor” 10%
“The Queen’s Gambit” 10%
“Framing Britney Spears” 10%
“Euphoria” 8%
“Emily in Paris” 8%
“The Vow” 8%
“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” 7%
“Tenet” 6%
“I May Destroy You” 6%
“Lovecraft Country” 6%
“The Great” 5%
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