Netfl(exing) My Streaming Habits

By Namu Sampath

Like everyone else who was stuck at home, bored during the pandemic, I tried to find my 'thing.' From trying Dalgona coffee, to making a separate Instagram account for all the recipes I was trying, to doom scrolling on TikTok, to doing Chloe Ting's workout videos in my parents' garage, I just about tried it all. That is, until I started watching 'Tiger King' on Netflix.

What started as a little hobby of watching (and binging) TV series became a full blown, big Google Sheets spreadsheet reviewing the TV shows I've watched over the last three years.

In my original spreadsheet, I broke down my reviews of the TV shows I was watching by: Name of Show, Genre, Number of Seasons, Rating (mainly out of 10, with a few exceptions), Streaming Platform, and Notes (or my personal reviews of the shows.)

For this analysis, I used my spreadsheet to analyze my personal watching habits: the genres I watch, the streaming platform I use the most, which year over the last three years I watched the most TV, and more.

Comparing which streaming platform I used the most over a three-year period. Netflix charges ahead with 82 watched shows, while Hulu and the other streaming sites trail far behind.

I found that my most used streaming platform is Netflix — with 82 watched shows — and it is slowly followed by Hulu, with 22 watched shows. My least used streaming platform is Apple TV, where I watched one show — 'The Morning Show,' which had a star-studded cast including Steve Carrell, Jennifer Aniston, and Reese Witherspoon.

Per my analysis of my TV watching habits, I learned that my most favorite genre, contrary to what I thought I knew about myself, are 'Teen Dramas.'

I have always loved crime TV and 'WhoDunIt?' shows, so naturally, I thought that would top any other genre. Unsurprisingly to me, however, I learned that my least watched genre is 'Sci-Fi'.

According to my analysis, I watch between 25-35 shows per year; however, in 2022, I nearly doubled this amount — having watched 51 shows. This year, I am on track to surpass last year's number, as I have already watched almost 30 shows.