Worthy of Your Binge: How Media Momentum Drives Satisfaction in Clumped Consumption – MSI

Working Paper

Worthy of Your Binge: How Media Momentum Drives Satisfaction in Clumped Consumption

Rachele Ciulli, Cait Lamberton and Robert Meyer

Apr 3, 2026

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Uses a series of online experiments to determine how complexity and emotional engagement interact to create media momentum driving “binge viewing” of shows and increasing audience satisfaction.

Topics

Consumer Behavior & Insights Social Media & Social Influencers

research recap

From Cringe-Worthy to Binge-Worthy: The Role of Media Momentum

As “binge watching” of media increases, how can platforms and audiences avoid the hangover? Shows combining complexity and emotional engagement have “media momentum” that drives viewing and satisfaction. Complexity counteracts hedonic adaptation, keeping the consumer involved, and resonance keeps the experience pleasant despite the effort required to follow the plot.

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