Watching British movies and TV shows with the subtitles on? It’s not just you

Wondering if your pop-culture tastes and habits are unique? It’s not just you. First in an occasional series.

One of the benefits of streaming has been an increased flow of series and movies from around the globe, as services try to keep their shelves filled with fresh alternatives. Subscribers in the US, moreover, seem much less resistant than in years past when it comes to watching shows either entirely or heavily in languages other than English, as evidenced by the popularity of titles like “Squid Game,” “Lupin” and most recently “Shogun.” Yet even shows produced in English in other countries, like the UK and Australia, can become a little thick for an American ear trying to sort out the idiomatic quirks and other differences. If you paused a few times to catch lines in Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer,” “Peaky Blinders” or “Bodkin,” or Paramount+’s “Sexy Beast,” rest assured, you are not alone. Perhaps that’s one reason why data indicate more people – especially young adults, who are more prone to second-screen viewing and multitasking – are watching shows in their primary language with the subtitles on. According to a 2023 survey by YouGov, nearly 40% of US respondents preferred having the subtitles on when watching TV in a language they speak, with those under 30 employing that practice by a better than two-to-one margin compared to those age 45 to 64. The survey found that those using subtitles cite two primary factors in equal measure: Subtitles enhance their comprehension, and they help them understand accents. Netflix, as the most widely distributed streaming service, has cast its net farther and wider in terms of offering programs produced around the world, and it has taken note of changes in the way people consume its content.