There are numerous reasons why Netflix is more popular than any broadcast or premium television network. The original programming, the complete seasons of 30 Rock and Bob’s Burgers, and most importantly, the lack of commercials. You can watch nine episodes of Parks and Recreation in a row, and never have to see Katherine Heigl selling cat litter. But just how many hours a month, or days in a year, does Netflix save you from commercials?
The answer: A lot. Here’s how Cord Cutting figured it out. Netflix has approximately 75 million subscribers, and they stream 125 million hours of content annually. That’s “1 and 2/3 hours per subscriber per day.”
From Nielsen, we know that a typical hour of cable television includes 15 minutes, 38 seconds – or 938 seconds – of commercials. Multiply that figure by 1.67 repeating and you get 1,563.3 (also repeating) seconds of commercials per day. That’s 570,616.7 seconds per year, which works out to 158.5 hours. So each subscriber saves him or herself about 160 hours of commercials per year by streaming their content through Netflix. (Via)
That’s over six days a year.
As Netflix’s numbers increase, so will the cost of airing a commercial during the Super Bowl, Academy Awards, and other live events. Sports and spectacles are seemingly the only time people are watching television, and not using a streaming service or fast-forwarding through the ads on DVR.
All those Stathams aren’t going to come cheap.
(Via Cord Cutting)