Smartphones have quietly transformed from simple communication tools into tiny entertainment hubs, and nowhere is this change more evident than in how we watch TV series. Once upon a time, people would gather around their living room TVs, eagerly waiting for their favorite episodes to air. Today, it’s more common to see someone glued to their smartphone screen, binge-watching entire seasons anywhere and anytime, a trend supported by the Muniyo Quick Polling result that shows 59% of people prefer using their phones for TV series.

For most people, the first connected screen they reach for each day is the smartphone, not the living room TV (datareportal.com). Because this device is always on and always nearby, it naturally becomes the default gateway to entertainment. One tap on a push notification from a streaming app, and a “quick look” at a new episode easily turns into a full viewing session. Even when people own larger screens, they reserve the TV for planned viewing and use the phone for spontaneous, fragmented moments of TV series watching that fit around work, school, and family life (vdocipher.com).

This is particularly striking among Gen Z and younger millennials, who have grown up with vertical video, social feeds, and on demand platforms optimized for mobile. One recent analysis reported that a large majority of Gen Z viewers say they would rather watch TV content on their phones than on a traditional big screen, illustrating how habits formed on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram easily spill over into long form series viewing (thewrap.com). This preference for smartphones among younger generations not only reflects their digital upbringing but also intersects with broader technological and economic factors worldwide. Beyond cultural habits, practical considerations shape how TV series are consumed in many regions.

On a global scale, the smartphone’s role in TV series consumption is amplified by infrastructure realities. In many emerging markets, smart TVs and high end broadband connections remain relatively expensive, while mobile data plans and mid range Android phones are far more attainable, effectively making the smartphone the first and sometimes only screen for professional TV content. Reports on streaming in Asia, for example, highlight that mobile streaming already surpasses desktop use and competes strongly with traditional television, helped by cheaper data, downloadable episodes, and local apps optimized for smaller screens (datareportal.com).