Your Netflix subscription may be saving you from nearly 160 hours of commercials a year

By Stephanie Topacio Long May 11, 2016

netflix streaming commercial hours behind the screens 110815 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Netflix offers more than just a socially acceptable way to invite someone over for a hookup. The streaming service — among its other benefits — also prevents us from having to suffer through those pesky commercials we face in droves when we watch traditional television. By streaming Netflix instead of turning to cable, we save ourselves hours upon hours of ad time.

The actual figure depends on your own streaming habits, but Cordcutting.com now estimates that the number is nearly 160 hours of commercials a year. The figure is based two key pieces of data: the fact that Netflix has 75 million members and that subscribers stream 125 million hours of content each day, according to Netflix’s CES 2016 Keynote, as reported by The Verge. Cordcutting.com calculated the average amount of time members spend viewing Netflix per day (roughly 1.67 hours), and then used the number of minutes of commercials included in an hour of cable TV (15.63 minutes), as reported by Nielsen, to arrive at the final number.

Our individual Netflix-watching time varies, of course. Some of us veer toward the Brooklyn man who managed a 94-hour binge, while still others only stream occasionally. Nonetheless, the 160-hour figure is telling. It illustrates a powerful reason why consumers are increasingly turning away from traditional cable in favor of Netflix and other streaming services.

Consumers could choose to do a lot of things with 160 hours, and presumably, few (if any) would opt to use that time on commercials. More likely, they’d rather watch additional TV shows or movies, or elect to engage in other pastimes. Netflix and other ad-free streamers are forcing TV networks to face this reality.

Fortunately for viewers, the message seems to be getting through. NBC, for example, recently announced that it would cut back on commercial breaks during the upcoming season of Saturday Night Live. Others are also making adjustments, so start thinking about what you want to do with all that extra time.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Stephanie Topacio Long

Contributor

Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…

Entertainment

5 underrated movies on Netflix you need to watch in May 2024

Two men in suits sit in a theater.

May is the start of the summer blockbuster season. Thanks to the rise of streaming services, blockbusters are not only reserved for theatrical releases anymore. Netflix is one streamer with the money and power to release giant tentpole movies. For example, one of the new movies arriving in late May is Atlas, a sci-fi action thriller starring Jennifer Lopez about the battle against AI.

Because of Lopez's star power, Atlas should become one of the most popular movies on Netflix upon its release. Beyond the marquee titles, plenty of underrated movies are available to stream right now. Below, you'll find movies to watch in May, including a heist thriller from an Oscar-winning auteur, an eye-opening sports documentary about a polarizing team, and a romantic neo-noir from the 1980s.
Inside Man (2006)

Audio / Video

You have until June 9 to save $500 off an 85-inch Samsung The Frame TV

A painting being displayed on a Samsung The Frame QLED.

Looking for great TV deals? You still have time to save $500 on the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV when you head over to Samsung. It usually costs $4,300, but right now the popular and stylish TV is down to $3,800, making it more affordable than before. If you’re keen to invest in a large TV but love to save money too, this is a good opportunity. Here’s what you need to know about the TV before you decide to buy.

Why you should buy the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV
One of the best QLED TVs around, the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV is a delight in so many ways. At its core, it’s a fantastic QLED TV with 100% Color Volume with Quantum Dot technology saturating the screen with a billion colors. QLED adds a layer of quantum dots to a TV’s LED backlight with these dots, once exposed to light, emitting their own light with a high level of efficiency to provide great picture quality.

Audio / Video

It’s your last chance to get up to $1,900 off a Samsung OLED TV

The Samsung S90C in a living room environment.

There’s still a little time left to snap up one of the best TV deals available today, with Samsung still selling the 83-inch S90C OLED TV for $3,500 instead of $5,400. The $1,900 discount is a pretty vast one and one that you certainly don’t want to skip. If you’re looking for a great new TV for your large living space, you’re going to love this deal. Let’s take a look at how great the Samsung S90C OLED TV is.

Why you should buy the Samsung 83-inch S90C OLED TV
Samsung makes some of the best TVs around and we’re huge fans of the Samsung 83-inch S90C OLED TV. It has an OLED panel so you get self-lit pixels which can light up independently of each other. That means that you can enjoy the deepest blacks and the brightest colors all on the same scene, ensuring you never miss a detail. The Samsung 83-inch S90C OLED TV uses a Neural Quantum Processor with 4K upscaling so its AI-powered processor can transform whatever you’re watching. There’s also HDR OLED which uses AI deep learning to analyze each scene, detecting areas that need to brighter, darker, or simply richer in color.