I have a confession to make. It’s something I should have said awhile ago, especially to a bunch of strangers on the Internet. I…have been cheating on my fiancée. I didn’t mean to, I love her so much, but she was working late one night and I was at home all by lonesome, bored out of my mind…and, well, I watched the entirety of Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry? on Netflix Instant without her. I’M SO SORRY, HONEY. It’s only now do I realize the irony.
Apparently I’m not the only committing digital adultery, though: according to studies released by Netflix, 51% of those in a relationship would cheat on their lover by streaming a TV show they agreed to watch together before their partner had a chance to watch it. And more than 28 million already have. More cold, hard facts:
Among those in a relationship who would stream cheat, the highest percentage said they would be likely do so at home by themselves on the main TV (66%). Scandalously, 21% would watch in bed while their significant other was asleep and 5% said they would cheat in the bathroom.
41% would not spoil scenes before they happened.
14% would feel so guilty that they would have to confess
12% would re-watch and “fake it” with emotion.
A little more reckless with their viewing habits, younger couples (26% ages 18-34) were more likely to have “cheated5” than older couples (10% ages 55+).
And while it can be said that men get a bad rap for “cheating,” the study showed incriminating evidence, with over three quarters (77%) of men 18-34 in a relationship saying they would “cheat” – a significantly higher percentage than among attached women 18-34 (57%). Sorry guys, we’re just sharing the numbers.
To be fair, you can only hear “no” as an answer to “Do you watch to start Ally McBeal tonight? only so many times.
