#FIRSTLOK: ONE-QUARTER OF CANADIANS WITH NETFLIX HAVE “STREAMING CHEATED”

Guilty of Streaming Cheating? You’re Not Alone, According to New Survey

Love may be in the air thanks to new films and series like People We Meet on Vacation and Bridgerton
Season 4, but so is streaming “cheating,” and it’s more common than many Canadians might like to admit. According to Enterprise Canada’s latest poll, nearly one-quarter of Canadians with Netflix (27%) admit they’ve secretly watched a movie or show alone that they had promised to watch with their partner. Turns out this secretive habit is especially popular among Millennials and Gen Z (38%).

And most never fess up to the crime. Most streaming cheaters are playing a long game, with
six in 10 (61%) saying they concealed it and later watched the same movie or show again with their partner. When it comes to titles full of twists and turns, like the new film The Rip or the latest limited series His & Hers, it may help to see every plot point unfold all over again!

“Watching a Netflix show or movie as a couple can be a meaningful way to build intimacy and share quality time together no matter if you’re newly dating or have been married for years. It’s a modern love language,” says Shannon Tebb, Toronto’s boutique Matchmaker and Dating Expert. “When you secretly watch ahead without your partner – something nearly a quarter of Canadians with Netflix admit
to doing – it can feel harmless, but it may leave your partner feeling left out and trigger feelings of mistrust or even betrayal.”

Streaming cheating cuts across the board with women (27%) and men (26%) admitting to sneaking ahead of their partner at nearly identical rates, proving anyone is just as likely to press play behind their significant other’s back.

Still, Netflix is far from a solo experience for most couples. Among Canadians with a romantic partner, 67% say they actually prefer to watch Netflix together rather than separately. Because dissecting the ending to Stranger Things or Harlan Coben’s latest mystery is always better together.

Three in four (74%) Canadians say they generally agree with their partner about what to watch on Netflix, though 29% admit their partner has forced them to watch something they would have otherwise skipped. Only 19% regularly disagree over what to watch with their better half.

So, whether you’re a faithful co-watcher or a sneaky episode-binger, just remember, love may be blind but streaming history isn’t. (And don’t forget to save the date — Season 10 of Love
is Blind will be available on Netflix on February 11, 2026!)