Streaming services have completely overhauled the way that people consume entertainment, this we know. What a lot of us may not know is that some Netflix subscribers' overhauled viewing habits now incorporate popping an episode of Stranger Things or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on whenever they're in a public restroom. That's right, people are getting their streaming done in public restrooms, and the percentage isn't that small. Because nothing takes one's mind off of pooping in an airport quite like Titus Andromedon and the Mind Flayer.
Based on the intriguing results from a survey Netflix recently conducted, 67% of those surveyed are streaming Netflix outside the home, and roughly 12% of public-streaming audiences are keeping their binge-watching sessions going even when in the presence of public toilets. 12% may not sound like a lot when put like that, but if we consider just the U.S. subscriber base of 52.77 million people, there are over 35 million people watching in public, which means over 4.2 million people are out there who have eschewed restroom reading material for Mindhunter and BoJack Horseman. The next time you're in a room with 100 people, try to predict which twelve people watched part of Adam Sandler's latest movie while wiping up earlier that day.
So when this weekend gets here, a lot of people who will be watching The Punisher out in the open world will be fine with doing it in a public bathroom, which could make for some interesting soundbites. Incidentally, the opening scene from The Punisher's premiere includes a moment in a restroom stall, but no one was watching anything on a phone.
Netflix teamed with SurveyMonkey during a two-week span from late August to early September, with over 37,000 people surveyed in 22 different countries. That's a pretty solid assortment of people, and the report dropped a lot more interesting factoids beyond just potty-related stuff. Around 44% of people do their streaming on planes, which almost seems low to me, while 40% of bus riders do it. 30% do it while commuting to work, and amusingly enough, that number jumps up to 37% for people who binge while AT work. And 22% admit to crying while watching in public.
Crazily enough, 11% of people have actually had TV shows (and possibly movies) spoiled for them because of other people watching stuff on their mobile devices. Meanwhile, 44% claim that they've caught other people binge-mooching while staring over a shoulder. Thankfully, only 22% of those surveyed will be embarrassed about what they're watching in public. On Netflix, anyway.
What the survey didn't tell us is quite possibly the most important question of all: How many of these people are using headphones or ear buds? Because if the answer isn't 100%, then we need to find those who don't and we need to send them away to an island. Check out the video below to see a few more stats.
Do you guys like to watch Netflix in public restrooms? Let us know, and then check out everything the streaming giant will have available for public and private viewing with our 2017 Netflix schedule, which goes great with our fall TV premiere schedule.
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