U.S. viewers report growing frustration with streaming content overload

New research from Bango found that 29% of Americans spent more than 30 minutes deciding what to watch on streaming services, with younger viewers reporting significantly higher levels of browsing time. 

The study of 2,500 U.S. consumers found that 30% said choosing what to watch often took longer than actually watching. That figure rose to 46% among both Gen Z and Millennial respondents.

Consumers show willingness to trade ads for lower streaming costs

The data also showed that 25% of respondents said they had “run out” of things to watch on streaming services despite the amount of content available. Among Gen Z respondents, that figure increased to 47%.

Viewers also reported abandoning content more quickly. According to the research, 25% of Americans said they frequently stopped watching shows within the first three episodes, compared with 34% of Gen Z respondents and 38% of Millennials.

The report also broke out responses by streaming platform. Among Apple TV users, 45% said choosing what to watch often took longer than watching something, followed by HBO Max users at 39%, Disney+ and Hulu users at 38%, Netflix users at 36% and Amazon Prime users at 33%.

Apple TV users were also the most likely to say they had “run out” of things to watch, at 34%. Disney+ and HBO Max users followed at 32%, with Hulu users at 31%, Netflix users at 30% and Amazon Prime users at 26%.

“When it comes to streaming, people are running out of patience, rather than running out of content,” Giles Tongue, subscription expert at Bango, said in a statement. “Viewers are spending longer scrolling, giving up on shows earlier, and often coming away feeling like there is nothing worth watching, even when there is more available than ever.”

“This behaviour points to a bigger issue around discovery,” Tongue said. “With content spread across multiple services, finding something worth watching quickly has become part of the challenge. More choice does not always feel like better value if people are overwhelmed by it, especially when access and payment are fragmented across different subscriptions.”

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Bango said the findings were part of its “Subscription Signals” report examining streaming subscription behavior in the United States.