Bingeing telly again? What if it could actually earn you something? Here’s how a clever trick can make your screen time work a bit harder.
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If you’re anything like me, you binge watch box sets and pretend it’s “background noise” while you scroll on your phone. So why not make a few quid while you’re at it?
Turns out, there is a way to get rewarded just for watching your favourite shows.
And no, it’s not a scam or some dodgy app that asks for your bank details before you’ve hit play on Squid Games / Bridgerton / Amy Bradley is Missing / Is It Cake? / Emily In Paris – pick your guilty pleasure.
Connection Hub
There’s a thing called Connection Hub from YouGov, the well-known survey site.
If you’re invited, you can link your streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+.
Once connected, you’ll earn points just for sharing your viewing history. You don’t need to do anything else. Just simple passive income.
There are no quizzes, no reviews, no pretending you’re a film critic. Just watch whatever you were going to watch anyway.
YouGov pays out in vouchers or PayPal cash once you hit the minimum points, and you can bank hundreds of points a week just from your usual watching habits.
Only catch? It’s not open to everyone. You’ll need to be an existing YouGov panel member and wait for an invite, but if you’re already signed up and actively taking surveys, you might get picked.
Sign up now if you’re not already.
There’s also the question over whether you’re happy to share your data, but I don’t really care if they know I’ve been binge watching The Office in my spare time! I mean, what are they going to do with that boring information? Try to sell me a mouse mat?
How much can you make?
Total disclosure – it’s really not a lot lol
But pennies add up over time, and you’re literally doing nothing.
You earn 75 points when you first connect Netflix, which is worth a whopping (drum roll) 75p – ok, don’t laugh!
Now this doesn’t seem like much, but you then get 25p each week after that, so £1 a month for doing absolutely nothing.
And it’s not just Netflix that you can connect. You can also add Disney+, Prime, YouTube and bank accounts. Sharing a few of these can bump your total up.
If you’ve got Neftlx, two other platforms and three bank accounts connected through Open Banking, you could be looking to earn around £8 a month.
And, on top of that, there are surveys with YouGov, which are always guaranteed (you never get screened out).
I’ve got a bank, Netflix and YouTube connected, and I even created a Steam account to get another 75 points.
Other ways to earn while watching telly
YouGov’s Connection Hub might be the easiest passive way to earn, but it’s not the only way to rake in a few quid from the sofa.
Here are a few other ideas that are low-effort and low-pressure, so you can turn your screen time into side hustle time:
Surveys with one eye on the screen
Websites like Swagbucks, Branded Surveys, and InboxPounds pay you to answer surveys.
They don’t always need your full attention at all times, so you can plod through them while the telly’s on in the background.
However, you do need to try to pay attention or you could get kicked off the panels. They carry out attention checks, such as asking to choose “not very often” during a survey to make sure you’re not speeding through simply to earn money.
It’s similar to the Crispin Buxley Phenomenon check with Prolific.
Surveys won’t make you rich, but they’ll cover a takeaway or a bit of your broadband bill.
Get paid to test apps and websites
Sites like UserTesting pay you to test websites and record your thoughts.
It’s usually a bit more involved than surveys, so maybe save this one for the quiet moments when the plot of Ozark isn’t too twisty.
Start a “what I watched” side hustle
If you’re glued to the latest Netflix drops anyway, why not share your opinions and build a little content business on the side?
Post short reviews on TikTok, start a niche Instagram, or build a blog (hello).
You can monetise with affiliate links, brand collabs or creator funds or ads. It won’t be instant, but if you’ve got something to say, it can snowball.
Final thought
You’re not going to retire early just by watching telly, but if you’re already halfway through a rewatch of The Office (again), you might as well turn it into a couple of quid.
Naomi knows the burden of living on very little and became debt free by following her own money saving tips and tricks. She is an expert on saving money at the supermarket and side hustles.
