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Study says Game of Thrones is 'most binge-able box set' of all time

Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, The Walking Dead and The Sopranos among tantalising dramas all scoring highly in new viewing habits survey

Astrid Hall
Thursday 04 January 2018 06:01 EST
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Game of Thrones has been revealed as the most binge-able box set of all time, according to a study.

The epic HBO fantasy series tells the story of nine noble families battling for the Iron Throne and control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

Multi-award winning and nominated for Best Television Series for the Golden Globes 2018, Game of Thrones has taken the TV world by storm since it launched in 2011 and made Kit Harrington, Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clarke household names.

In second place was Breaking Bad, which tells the story of cancer-stricken teacher Walter White's illegal quest to raise enough money to secure his family's future by manufacturing and dealing crystal meth.

It was closely followed by the quintessentially British, Downton Abbey.

The research, carried out among 2,000 adults ranked The Walking Dead as the fourth most binge-able box set.

And the critically-acclaimed Sopranos came in at number five.

Steve Mitchell, Head of TV Product Management at Samsung UK, which commissioned the study, said: “We’ve seen over the last few years that there has been a radical change in how people watch TV and their favourite programmes.

''Whether through box sets or streaming, we all have an opportunity to watch whatever content we want at a time that’s convenient for us.

“Television can be powerful and thought provoking medium and with our QLED technology, which offers unrivalled colour, deep blacks and bold contrast levels - viewers are able to immerse themselves even more with the most life-like picture to date.”

The research also found one in five agree they watch more TV series now than they did five years' ago.

And an equal number admit they 'box set binge' more regularly too.

Also among the top 10 was 24, Sex and the City and Other, shortly followed by Lost and The Wire.

The 1920s brummie box set, Peaky Blinders, narrowly missed the top 10, tailed by Dexter and Orange is the New Black.

Dark fantasy horror, True Blood, also made its way into the list, with a mammoth 80 episodes for Brits to sink their teeth into.

Teen drama Gossip Girl, based on the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar, was also voted as a box set to enjoy for hours on end.

Single father, Jax Teller - played by Charlie Hunnam - also made the top 20 in the edgy biker-gang based Sons of Anarchy.

Popular BBC series Spooks.and another spy thriller, Homeland featuring Damian Lewis, also ranked highly.

And despite its finale airing back in 2012, the ladies of Wisteria lane from American ‘dramedy’, Desperate Housewives, snuck in at number 20.

The research, conducted via OnePoll.com, also found many are eager to learn the fates of their beloved characters, with Game of Thrones being the series the nation are most excited about the return of in 2018.

Other hotly anticipated releases are Sherlock, Line of Duty, Doc Martin and the revival of Dancing on Ice.

In fact, the study revealed 44 per cent of adults said they now prefer to watch TV ‘on demand’.

And one in five revealed they like to watch their favourite shows over and over again.

Top 20 most ‘binge-able’ boxsets

  1. Game of Thrones
  2. Breaking Bad
  3. Downton Abbey
  4. The Walking Dead
  5. The Sopranos
  6. 24
  7. Sex and the City
  8. Other
  9. Lost
  10. The Wire
  11. Peaky Blinders
  12. Dexter
  13. Orange is the New Black
  14. House of Cards
  15. True Blood
  16. Gossip Girl
  17. Sons of Anarchy
  18. Spooks
  19. Homeland
  20. Desperate Housewives

SWNS

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