Lockdown turning Britain into a nation of streaming ‘cheaters’ and ‘spoilers’

As lockdown fuels a huge increase in streaming, millions of Brits are committing the ultimate etiquette faux pas. According to a survey of 2,000 UK adults, over one in ten (11 per cent) confess to being a streaming ‘cheater’ and secretly watching episodes of series they had promised to watch with someone else.

Generation Z (16 - 24-year olds) are the worst culprits – a quarter admit to being a regular streaming cheater. Overall, 50 per cent of cheaters admit to doing it on at least a weekly basis. Men are more regular cheaters - over a fifth (22 per cent) of male cheaters do it on a daily basis, compared to just 13 per cent of women. The top reasons cited for streaming cheating are impatience to watch the next episode (50 per cent), followed by feeling bored (21 per cent).

Streaming cheaters are most likely to cheat on their partner (37 per cent), followed by a family member (32 per cent), then a friend (30 per cent). The top programmes that Brits are cheating with are: Game of Thrones (16 per cent), Stranger Things (15 per cent), Sex Education (15 per cent) and The Crown (13 per cent). Such is the frustration of being ‘Netflix cheated’ on that 8 per cent of couples claim to have argued over it, and 4 per cent claim it was the final straw that made them break-up with their partner.

The research was commissioned by Hyperoptic, a leading UK full fibre broadband provider, to get insight into the top streaming bugbears, as Brits increasingly shift to watching on-demand content. The survey was conducted by Censuswide. Ofcom’s Media Nation’s 2020 report estimates that 12 million UK adults signed up to a new video streaming service during lockdown. Together, Netflix, Amazon and Disney+, had 32.4 million UK subscribers at the end of 2020, according to media analyst Ampere.

Brits top streaming bugbears are buffering (25 per cent), someone who takes forever to decide what to watch (20 per cent), Netflix spoilers - someone who tells you the end before you’ve seen it - (19 per cent,) and people who talk through a show (19 per cent). Over a third (34 per cent) of Brits have experienced a Netflix spoiler and 10% of Brits have someone they actively avoid for being a notorious spoiler. The top culprits for Netflix spoilers are friends (38 per cent), partners (22 per cent), siblings (19 per cent) and colleagues (17 per cent.)

The research outlined that Brits are currently spending an average of 2.6 hours a day streaming TV. Over 40 per cent are watching three or more series at the same time. Younger people are the biggest streamers with 16-24-year-olds admitting to spending an average of 3.8 hours a day using streaming services.

Charles Davies, MD ISP, Hyperoptic: “The lockdown has fuelled a big rise in streaming subs, which have brought with them new rules of etiquette. Becoming a renowned ‘Netflix spoiler’ could make people put a pause on wanting to speak to you about their viewing habits. So, the is message clear – think carefully before choosing your series and viewing partners!”