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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →A 2024 survey reported that people spend an average of 110 hours a year scrolling streaming platforms to find something to watch. That is a striking estimate—not a time-use measurement—and the available reporting does not explain how it was calculated. The same survey suggests why choosing can feel so difficult: viewers may value recommendations and still feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options.
What the survey found
StudyFinds reported that Talker Research conducted an online survey commissioned by UserTesting from November 2 to November 7, 2024. It included 2,000 American adults who subscribed to at least one streaming service. The figures below are survey responses as reported by StudyFinds; they should not be read as measurements of every viewer’s behavior.
- 110 hours a year: the reported average time spent scrolling streaming platforms in search of something to watch. The coverage does not provide the question wording or calculation behind this annual estimate.
- 41%: said they struggled with increasingly large content libraries; 26% said there was too much original content being produced.
- 75%: appreciated streaming algorithms for accurate recommendations, while 51% said they felt overwhelmed by the quantity of suggested content.
- 39%: prioritized an easy-to-navigate interface when describing an ideal service; 52% said a platform’s user interface played a massive or significant role in subscription decisions.
- 79%: reported frustration with extra subscription fees for select content. Separately, 48% said they had abandoned cable television.
- One in five subscribers: said finding something to watch was harder than a decade earlier.
These are findings from one survey, not evidence that any single factor caused the reported difficulty. In particular, the responses show that recommendations can be valued for accuracy even as the volume of suggestions feels excessive; those views are not mutually exclusive.
Why choosing can feel like work
More titles expand the pool of possibilities, but they also require viewers to search, compare and decide. A recommendation can narrow that pool, yet a crowded row of suggestions can become another menu to sort through. Interface design matters in that moment: the survey’s reported emphasis on easy navigation points to discovery as more than a question of how many titles a service carries.
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UserTesting Senior Director of Industry Solutions Bobby Meixner described the shift this way: “The streaming landscape has evolved from solving the problem of content access to creating a new challenge of content discovery,” as quoted by BGR.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 110-hour figure does—and does not—tell us
The 110-hour number is a survey-reported estimate. StudyFinds and BGR report it, but the coverage reviewed does not include the questionnaire, sampling or weighting details, or the method used to derive the yearly figure. It should not be presented as directly observed screen time or as a precise count for an individual household.
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The survey took place in November 2024. It offers a snapshot of the responses collected then; it does not establish how much time viewers spend choosing what to watch today. StudyFinds also quotes a reader describing their household’s “trouble finding a good show,” but that comment is an individual anecdote, not a representative survey result.
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Sources
- StudyFinds, December 22, 2024: survey attribution, sample, field dates and reported findings.
- BGR, December 23, 2024: corroborates the annual estimate and quotes Meixner’s statement.
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