What could you have learnt in the time spent watching popular series?
• 51% of people believe that binge-watching tv and streaming services can negatively impact mental health
• 52% of people feel they don’t spend enough time learning new skills
• 95% of people agree learning a new skill positively impacts their mental health
• 91% of people agree learning a new skill boosts their confidence
• Instead of watching Bridgerton season 1 and 2, viewers could complete a course on the ‘Rise of the novel in the 18th century’
Research we have carried out has revealed which learning courses and qualifications you could have completed in the time spent streaming popular TV series.
Looking at the most-watched Netflix TV series from the past year, we have collated series data on run times and paired them with education courses of a similar length. With our recent survey indicating that 52% of people feel they don’t spend enough time learning new skills and 22% of people feeling guilty about the time they spend bingeing TV and streaming services, we were keen to show how people could make some simple swaps to make room for more learning.
In the time spent watching Season 1 of Squid Game, viewers could have completed a ‘Korean for beginners’ course. Instead of watching Bridgerton season 1 and 2, viewers could have completed a course on the ‘Rise of the novel in the 18th century’.
Some of the other course and series comparisons include:
| TV Series | Total Run Time | City Lit Courses | Total Course Hours |
| Downton Abbey Series 1-6 | 49 hours 54 mins |
Politics culture & society in Britain and Ireland 1922-39 (20 hours) Art in 20s and 30s (10 hours) |
30 Hours |
| Stranger Things Season 1-4 | 35 hours | Filmmaking: shoot and edit | 36 hours |
| Sex Education Season 1-3 | 21 hours 12 mins |
Counselling as a career (3 hours) Setting up a private counselling practice (6 hours) Introduction to working with psychosexual issues in therapy (6 hours) |
15 hours |
| Queen of the South Season 1-5 |
42 hours 30 mins | Spanish for Beginners: Module 1A, Module 1, and Module 2 | 39 hours |
|
Bridgerton Season 1-2 |
16 hours 30 mins | Rise of the novel in the 18th century | 16 hours |
| Squid Game Season 1 |
8 hours 5 mins | Korean beginners: an introduction | 9 hours |
The study also revealed:
• 98% people agree learning a new skill feels like time well spent
• 94% people agree completing an educational course gives them a sense of accomplishment
• 52% people feel they don’t spend enough time learning new skills
• 51% of people believe that binge-watching tv and streaming services can negatively impact mental health
• 56% people believe that binge-watching tv and streaming services can negatively impact sleep
• 22% people feel guilty about the amount of time they spend binge-watching TV or streaming services
• 21% people believe they spend too much time watching TV / streaming services
To find out more about our courses please visit our courses page and enjoy learning!