The widespread practice of binge-watching (i.e., watching multiple episodes of a TV series in one session) recently
generated concerns about associated negative outcomes. Its psychological investigation, however, remains
fragmentary. Based on the previous phenomenological investigation of TV series watching, we developed
and validated two original assessment instruments, assessing TV series watching motives and binge-watching
engagement and symptoms, respectively. Preliminary items were created for each questionnaire, and a focus
group with TV series viewers was conducted and analyzed to generate the final instruments. The questionnaires
were then administered via an online survey (N=6556), together with complementary measures of affect,
problematic Internet use and substance use. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, along with correlational
analyses, were performed to examine both structural and external validity of the scales. The factorial
analyses resulted in a 4-factor model (i.e., emotional enhancement, enrichment, coping-escapism and social) for
the Watching TV Series Motives Questionnaire (WTSMQ), and in a 7-factor model (i.e., engagement, positive
emotions, desire-savoring, pleasure preservation, binge-watching, dependency and loss of control) for the Binge-
Watching Engagement and Symptoms Questionnaire (BWESQ). The results suggest good psychometric properties
for both scales. The current study thus provides theoretically-driven and psychometrically sound instruments
for further research on binge-watching behaviors.