We will watch it on a plane. And in the dark. And on a train. And in a car. And in a tree. Okay, maybe not that last one. But people will watch movies and TV shows practically anywhere.
Streaming-video giant Netflix found that more people are watching video outside their homes. About 67% of people now watch movies and TV shows in public, according to an online survey it commissioned of 37,000 adults around the world. It was conducted between late August and early September.
The most popular public places to stream are on planes, buses, or commuting, the survey found. But 26% of respondents also said they’ve binged shows and movies at work. People in the US were more likely to stream from the office, while users around the world were more likely to stream during their commutes.
A small group—about 7% worldwide—said they’ve watched movies and TV shows in public restrooms (to say nothing of those who have streamed from the privacy of their own bathrooms).
They’re not shy about it, either. A fifth of respondents admitted to crying while bingeing in public. Another 17% were so engrossed in a show or movie that they missed their stop on their commute (hopefully not while driving). And 45% said they’d caught someone spying on their screens; 11% said they had a show spoiled after looking on another person’s screen. Only 18% said they felt embarrassed about watching in public.
A lot of this public bingeing is driven by the rise in mobile viewing. In the US, for one, audiences are spending more time on smartphones and tablets than in years passed, Nielsen data shows (pdf). And smartphone usage proliferates worldwide.
For Netflix, mobile still makes up a small chunk of overall viewing. Netflix said it was about 10% as of 2016. But the company also said half of its users stream from a smartphone during any given month. Its audience is now around 110 million subscribers worldwide.
A year ago, the platform also added a download feature so subscribers could save titles to watch offline. That’s made it easier to stream on the go.