Supper isn’t the only thing Singaporeans enjoy late at night but binge watching too, says study

When Netflix introduced its shows with all episodes at once, it broke the industry mold, and viewers are changing the nature of TV. From the characters we choose to wake up with, to what we watch in bed, when viewers have the power to program their own day, TV watching no longer looks the same.

“For years our lives had to fit around television, now it’s the other way around,” said Cindy Holland, vice president of Original Content. “We’ve given consumers control and it’s interesting to see the behaviours that emerge when viewers aren’t tied to a schedule. And even more so to see that these routines are replicated by millions the world over.”

For Singaporeans, late nights are for supper and binge-watching. Viewers fit TV watching around their daily lives, rather than the other way around, so streaming peaks as late as 10pm in Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia.

Comedy for breakfast – viewers feel at home starting their day with Fuller House (and kopi). While you might not expect popular parodies to stir laughs bright and early, around 6am, members are 34% more likely to watch comedy compared to the rest of the day, with the new comedy wake-up block including the likes of Bojack Horseman, Stephanie Tanner (Fuller House) and Jane Villanueva (Jane the Virgin).

High noon, high drama – members pay a visit to the ladies of Litchfield at lunch. When viewing schedules are set by people and not programmers, lunchtime becomes no binging exception. Across the world, drama accounts for nearly half (47%) of viewing between noon and 2pm (an increase of 5% compared to the rest of the day) to the likes of Orange is the New Black, Narcos and Sherlock. Midday streaming is especially prevalent in Brazil where members are 25% more likely to watch at this time compared to the rest of the world.

Taking the Netflix binge on the road – members in India catch up on House of Cards during their daily commute. Workers in India are kicking off the daily grind with characters like Frank and Claire Underwood from House of Cards, and Harvey and Mike from Suits keeping them company when stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Compared to the rest of the world, India is 82% more likely to stream at 9am. A behaviour that continues on the 5pm ride home too with the same binge-worthy drama titles.

Opposite genres attract when we watch in bed – members trade the Demogorgon for Kimmy Schmidt. It’s no surprise thrillers like Stranger Things and Breaking Bad are being enjoyed in the evening – globally the genre sees a 27% increase come 9pm. But viewers are kicking Walter White and The Demogorgon out of bed and restoring balance with partners like Kimmy Schmidt (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Dave Chappelle before they hit the bed.

Late nights are for learning – watchers prefer Chef’s Table as a midnight snack. Globally, 15% of streaming happens between midnight and 6am and even rises as high as 21% in Japan and South Korea. And what these night owl members are watching is not what you think – documentaries see a 24% increase in viewing during this time, including titles like Abstract, Making a Murderer and Planet Earth.