New research commissioned by Sky Box Sets, reflects the growing popularity of box sets in our everyday lives. Game of Thrones, which is currently in its record-breaking sixth season on Sky Atlantic, is named as the nation’s favourite box set ever with 49.7% voting it as their favourite box set, closely followed by the adored Irish sitcom Father Ted with 37.5% of the votes (in contrast, just 13.8% of the British respondents voted Father Ted as their favourite box set, placing it in 9th position with Game of Thrones (32.7%) and X-Files (29.2%) taking the top spots in the UK).
The study also reveals more Irish people would rather watch a box set than go to the pub (26%) compared with 22.6% of those surveyed in the UK.
The survey results were announced on the same day as every episode of the new wealth and corruption drama Billions, starring Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti is made available on Sky Box Sets.
About 21% of those surveyed have two or more box sets on the go at any one time and, on average, they recommend their favourite shows to other people twice a week. A quarter of people now also share their thoughts on what they’ve watched immediately by calling or texting a friend and 19% admit to feeling excluded if they hear others discussing a box set they haven’t yet seen.
To remedy a serious case of box set FOMO, more than a quarter of the population will stay up all night, to make sure they don’t miss out on the conversation. And nearly half admit Game of Thrones tops the ‘left out’ list.
While some forego sleep to catch up on conversational cliff-hangers, 9.7% say they will lie about watching a box set episode by admitting to looking up episode synopses online in a bid to keep up with discussions. Again, Game of Thrones is the number one show people fib about seeing.
With Ireland’s favourite shows such as Game of Thrones, Father Ted and The X-Files becoming such a social phenomenon, 73 per cent of under-24s and 57 per cent of 25 – 34 year olds say they would love join a club and chat about their favourite shows; which is why Sky Box Sets has teamed up with Rose Leslie, known for her wildling role in Game of Thrones, to launch the UK & Ireland’s first ever Sky Box Sets Club – helping fans share their passion for addictively good box sets.
Box sets are such an everyday part of life that for nearly a third of the population (30%) they are a regular topic of conversation at work, redefining the traditional ‘water cooler’ moment. A surprising further 5.7 per cent confess to pulling a sickie from work to catch up on viewing.
The research also discovers seven per cent admitting they fell in love with their partner over a shared love of a particular box set. A quarter (24%) of box set lovers say TV is a hot topic on a first date, while over 1 in 5 (20.4%) 16-24 year olds say they’ve judged wanting to get to know someone better on the basis of their favourite box set. Conversely, nine per cent admit they’ve tuned out after discovering their date was a fan of a show they didn’t like.
And we’re using tablets and mobiles to watch shows anywhere anytime – on holiday (10 %), at work (5 %) and even in the loo (4.7 %) or in the bath (4.3%).
Behavioural psychologist, Emma Kenny, comments: “This research demonstrates our need for connection and shared experiences. The most important part of being human is connecting with others, and we should celebrate what helps us do that. Compared to books, box sets are a new phenomenon, but one nonetheless that gets people talking and connecting.
With one in five people admitting to cheating, by looking up episodes they have missed online, it demonstrates the importance of feeling part of something. The best part the box set trend is the democracy involved. Box sets transcend social divides cutting across economic status and education and enable us to come together as a whole.”
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Are you watching Billions?
