Binge-Watching Is Good, Actually!

It can be hard to put down the remote sometimes, especially if that remote has access to loads of streaming content.

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Picture this: It’s late, everyone else is fast asleep, but you for some reason are still wide awake, glued to the screen and are very much tempted to stay up to catch just one more episode of that new series, or maybe just another movie in the epic saga, or even tell yourself that you’d go to bed just when the half-time whistle blows during the game.

Cut to a few hours later, the sun is rising, birds are chirping to welcome a brand new day, and you just spent the night binge-watching without getting a wink of sleep.

We’ve all been there…

The average Malaysian is said to spend between an hour to 45 minutes a day in front of the TV, and around 12 hours a day staring at their mobile devices.

And ever since 24-hour TV services like Astro and streaming platforms like Netflix and HBO Go gave us access to thousands of non-stop viewing options for a small monthly fee – binge-watching has become the thing people indulge in.

However, this enjoyable activity does come at a cost to people’s health and well-being.

For those who overdo it, binge-watching can lead to obvious ills like sleep deprivation and fatigue, or less obvious side effects such as depression and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

But it is understandable that sometimes it can be hard to put the remote down, especially when that one remote has access to loads of streaming content and an endless supply of entertainment suitable for everyone.

But on the flipside, binge-watching can, actually, be good for you – if you binge with the right people!

Studies have noted that binge-watching can be a positive way for people to build and maintain social relationships with their friends, family and loved ones as it offers individuals the ability to connect over shared experiences and physical proximity with one another.

Binging is seen as a fun and relaxing pastime that people can do together to enhance the quality of their relationships over shared cultural space and social identity by developing the same interests.

Sharing media content such as TV shows, movies, documentaries, cartoons and of course sports competitions helps bring people closer together, even when they are apart.

Now sharing is much easier with all-new packages from Astro, which comes complete with apps such as Astro GO that you can binge on the go as well as stream your favourite shows from Netflix, Disney+Hotstar, HBO Go, K-dramas, and almost everything else that’s on the air.

All of this is available on a single platform and at a single price, and you can also choose to add-on broadband internet connection for an all-inclusive entertainment offering all in one place.

Say, for example, you and your family begin to watch the latest season of “Money Heist” on Netflix together.

Though some members of the family might not have the chance to watch the show together in front of the living room TV and may need to catch up on a few episodes on their own time – sharing the same fictional world where the whole family can relatively escape to together overcomes any physical boundaries that may come in the way, and help deepen the bond you have with each other over a common interest.

Being glued to the screens also helps glue people together!

Nowadays, media content like popular movies and TV series plays a huge part in not only popular culture but also everyday life.

Plot points in shows can become topics of discussion for people to group around and help foster better relationships between friends, family and even neighbours and coworkers.

It even helps bring the society at large closer together by showing that we aren’t as different from each other as we’d thought.

Just look at all the hype that came with the popularity of the hit Korean drama series “Squid Game” on Netflix and how everyone came together to celebrate their common passion for something they find entertaining and relatable.

**Read More:** Squid Game Is Everywhere And It’s Creeping At This Shopping Mall Near You
(Credit: Sunway Pyramid via Facebook)

Besides, binging together ensures that we’ll never go overboard and always have someone to tell us that it’s time to put the remote or device down for the day.

Binge with the right people, and you might even save a few Ringgits too.

Astro’s new Premium Packs, Sports Pack, as well as its Entertainment Plus Pack and Platinum Plus Pack, comes complete with up to 100Mbps of broadband internet connection, up to 142 TV channels for you to flip through, and your pick of some of the best streaming platforms to binge on up to 20 of your personal devices.

Compared to the old, standard subscription package, Astro’s newest packs let you and your loved ones binge it all from just between RM3 to RM6.50 a day with just one price.

So pick your partners in screen time and binge-watch your way to better relationships today!