There’s nothing more frustrating than starting to watch a show only to find out several months later that it’s due to be cancelled. This is a situation many viewers in the United States – and, let’s face it, all over the world, including in Malaysia – now want to avoid. 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.
About 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, that is, a season finale that leaves the story unresolved.
Forty-eight percent say it’s because they simply prefer binge-watching shows.
The 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 YouGov points out, 31% of Americans estimate that between one and three series they started watching from February 2022 have been cancelled.
US vs UK
In the United Kingdom, 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 cancelled.
But while they might be less anxious about this particular point, they’re no less impatient, since 24% of 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 proper 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, aged 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%).
Notably, some 110 shows were cancelled or discontinued last year.