How Much Time Do People Spend Watching Netflix?

If you have Netflix, chances are it plays a big part in your life — and that's not just me saying that, there is research to back it up. According to a new study, Americans who subscribe to Netflix spend more time per day watching Netflix than eating and having sex combined. Fellow Netflix subscribers, it seems our secret is out.

TDGResearch, a group that looks at trends in television and video, decided to see how much time Netflix subscribers spend using the service compared to other activities. They found that people watch Netflix for about 90 minutes per day, on average, which makes sense. That's about four episodes of a half hour-format comedy or about two episodes of an hour-format drama, which is not a ton of Netflix, really. As Exstreamist calculated, though, in comparison to other activities, that's a lot of time.

For reference, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we spend only about 70 minutes per day eating. We spent a little more than half an hour per day on housework. We spend barely 20 minutes a day on religious or civil activities like attending services or volunteering. And based on calculations about "adult intimacy," when it comes to sex, sadly, we spend an average of two minutes a day. That's less than three percent of the time Netflix subscribers spend watching Netflix.

Americans do still spend a decent amount of time reading, though. Apparently Americans spend an average of 49 minutes a day reading, though it's unclear if that holds true even for people who have a Netflix subscription. I mean, I know I still read a lot in spite of the siren song of Netflix, but I can't speak for everyone. But it seems that as a whole America still reads a reasonable amount, so at least we have that going for us.

Of course, it's also important to note with these numbers that they represent a daily average amount of use, when we know that plenty of people use Netflix for binge-watching, rather than regular viewing. It's entirely possible that many subscribers don't watch Netflix at all on some days, but watch it for hours at a time once they do.

However, it certainly seems like Netflix has come to dominate the free time of those who subscribe to the service. So will Netflix eventually take over our entire lives? Or is 90 minutes a day an ideal average that will hold steady? Or will Netflix be supplanted by some other even more addictive source of entertainment?

Only time will tell.

Image: Giphy (2)