STRATA Valentine's Day Survey Finds Big Bang Theory is Couples' Favorite Program to Watch Together

CHICAGO, Feb. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In the spirit of Valentine's Day, a new survey of couples' viewing habits conducted by STRATA, an advertising buying and selling software company, found that couples generally agree on how to watch TV together, although it's not always hugs and kisses when it comes to what to watch. Drama (34%) and comedy (31%) were the most popular genres for couples to snuggle up and watch together, while reality TV and sports were found to be less romantic. The Big Bang Theory was the most popular show for couples to watch together, with that show being picked more than two times more than the second place choice. Other key findings in the survey discovered that habits of married couples differed from those that are dating, while 69% of married couples felt watching TV together as a couple is a bonding experience.

TV Can't Separate Young Love Birds
Perhaps still love-struck, 52% of those dating said they never watch TV in a different room from their significant other, and 28% answered they would only do so rarely. Married couples, however, were more willing to watch alone as only 28% said they never watch TV in separate rooms, 29% said rarely, and 28% some of the time.  

These numbers were also consistent with the age of the respondents as older TV watchers in relationships gave themselves more time alone even as their significant other was home. Of those that said they would never watch TV in a separate room from their significant other, 28% were between the ages of 18-29, 28% were 30-44, while just 19% were over 60. Of those that said they watch TV separately from their partner most of the time, only 4% were between 18-29, while 36% were between 45-60 and 36% were over 60.

Will Reality TV End Your Relationship?
Some genres were more likely to bring couples together, while others did not lead to healthier relationships. Thirty-four percent of respondents said that drama was the genre they watched most as a couple, while 31% said that they prefer laughing together while watching comedy. Forty-one percent of respondents said reality programming was the least likely genre to that they would watch as a couple, with sports came in second at 34%. What drove lovers apart? For women, 43% said they were least likely to watch reality TV with their significant other out of any genre, while sports came in second at 33%. Men posted similar numbers for the same question. Women watching reality TV rubbed off on their men as 19% of men said they are only knowledgeable about reality TV because of their partner. On the other side, 29% of women had knowledge sports only because of their significant other.

TV Harmony
Most couples generally felt positively about watching TV together as 69% of married couples said they felt it was a bonding experience, followed by 68% of couples that have not tied the knot yet. When asked if deciding on which program to watch ever led to someone sleeping on the couch, 87% said that debate rarely or never led to a conflict.

Remote Control Issues
Despite the romance felt while watching together, the survey found that men generally controlled the remote. Only 15% of women felt they held the power of the remote in their hands while watching together, while 32% of men said they were in charge of the remote. But most couples found a happy medium as 57% of both men and women felt that ownership of the remote was shared.

Nerds, Families, and Death are Romantic
The Big Bang Theory was the most watched show for couples with 9% of survey respondents selecting that show as their program of choice while with their partner. The loving dynamic of Modern Family came in second at 3.5%, while 3% of couples preferred to solve murders or watch dead people walk around as NCIS and The Walking Dead came in tied for third place with 3% each.

Survey Methodology
STRATA conducted a national online survey of 639 adults 18 or older that are in a relationship (dating, engaged or married) between the dates of February 3-4, 2014. Of the survey respondents, 49% were male and 51% were female.

ABOUT STRATA
STRATA is the only system provider that connects both media buyers and sellers. The custom solutions supplied by STRATA empower clients to sell and efficiently purchase all media types including cable, broadcast, newspaper, radio, outdoor and digital advertising mediums.  On average, over $50 Billion in advertising dollars flow through STRATA systems per year.   

As the system of choice for over 1,000 agencies nationally, STRATA provides media technology that enables organizations to lead rather than react to industry developments.  By transforming the way advertisements are placed and tracked, STRATA adds a new level of transparency to campaigns that is necessary in the ever-evolving media world. 

SOURCE STRATA