Don’t want to get ‘invested’ in a show that might be cancelled? You’re not alone
Women are more likely than men to wait until a series is over before starting it, survey finds
American viewers are more worried than their British counterparts about the series they watch being cancelled.
THERE’S nothing more frustrating than starting to watch a show only to find out several months later that it’s due to be canceled. This is a situation that many viewers in the US now want to avoid and, according to a study, it can even influence their choice of show.
Which series to watch? When asking yourself this question, perhaps you’re careful to choose shows with endings that have already been filmed. According to a YouGov study, this factor now influences viewers’ choices.
In fact, 46% of Americans surveyed sometimes or always wait for an original show by a streaming service to end before they start watching it.
Some 25% of 18-34-year-olds say they “always” pay attention to this factor, while 34% “sometimes” consider this point.
A quarter of Americans (27%) wait for a series to be finished for fear of a potential cancellation and ending up with an unresolved plot.
Meanwhile, 24% explain that they do not want to have to wait for the conclusion of a cliffhanger, a season finale that leaves the story unresolved. Forty-eight per cent say it’s because they simply prefer binge-watching shows.
YouGov’s study also highlights gender differences among viewers. Women (50%) are more likely than men (46%) to wait until a series is over before starting it.
This decision can be explained by the frequency of cancellations. As the YouGov study points out, 31% of Americans estimate that between one and three series they started watching since February 2022 have been cancelled.
UK versus US
In the UK, British viewers are less adept at this new way of watching shows. Only 16% of them wait for a series to conclude to watch it fully and uninterrupted for fear of seeing it canceled.
But while they might be less anxious about this particular point, they’re no less impatient, since 24% of British viewers say they do not want to have to wait to watch a new season, especially if the last one ended on a cliffhanger.
Unlike Americans, British men (19%) are more bothered than women (13%) by series that do not have a real ending. However, women (26%) are more impatient with the wait between seasons than their male counterparts (22%).
Regardless of the reasons, British women (57%) are more likely to wait until a series is completely finished to watch it than men (43%).
Younger viewers, 18-34 (14%) and 35-54 (13%), are also more likely to always wait for a series to be wrapped up before starting it.
On the other hand, for the over-55s (49%), it makes no difference whether a show has finished or not. On this point, British viewers are more indifferent to cliffhangers (45%) than Americans (34%).
Note that 110 shows were cancelled or discontinued in 2022.
source – ETX Daily Up
