To understand the recent impact of Covid-19 on streaming and social media, Conviva has analysed global streaming data from the 21-day period between March 3rd and March 23rd, comparing the last 7 days ending March 23rd to two weeks prior.

At a time when society has never been more digitally connected, countries around the globe are imploring their people to be socially distant. For the good of all, each is asked to make sacrifices. But in the age of connectedness, with options for news, entertainment, and friendships at the press of a button, the sacrifices are not nearly as harsh.

Unsurprisingly, Covid-19 has had immediate impacts on consumption patterns and engagement across streaming and social media, with marked differences in the past month alone.

Key Findings on the Impact of Covid-19 from Conviva include:

• Streaming skyrocketed in March – On a global scale, streaming jumped more than 20 per cent as compared to two weeks prior. This increase was led by the Americas and Oceania, up nearly 27 per cent each, as well as Africa, up nearly 33 per cent as compared to two weeks prior. Europe saw a smaller lift as compared to two weeks prior, up only 2.2 per cent over the same time period, but has seen larger increases in recent days with the launch of Disney+. Asia, historically a mobile-first streaming market, netted a decline, down 10 per cent as viewers stay home.

• Primetime shifted earlier – As more viewers stayed home, watching throughout the day, the primetime peak shifted with viewing spread more evenly across more hours of the day. The daytime viewing hours of 10am-5pm rose significantly, nearly 40 per cent overall, with a peak increase in time spent streaming of 43 per cent for the 11am hour as compared to two weeks prior.

• Conversely, primetime viewing experienced a drop in time spent, with 8-11pm down 2 per cent over the same time period. The off-hours viewing spilled into early morning hours which were up 26 per cent and early fringe, up 20 per cent. Meanwhile, late fringe and overnight stayed relatively static.

• Facebook is the most popular platform for local news – local news accounts in the US tallied the largest increase in viewing over the past 30 days with an increase of 118 per cent in average views per video and total video views up 247 per cent.

• Engagements were up on social news – Twitter led in engagement with 150 per cent increase in average engagements per video for global news accounts and 196 per cent increase in average engagements per video for local news accounts in the US.

“Television has long been a way to connect – a plugged-in friend when one might otherwise feel disconnected. In these dire times, we’ve seen many turning to their old friend in new ways. Staying home means tuning in – to get informed, pass the time, and stay connected. This crisis has offered a worldwide reset on the way people relate to each other. As we weather the storm, people will perhaps see their face-to-face relationships in a new light, but our ability to remain connected via social media is likely valued now more than ever. In the best of times, streaming and social media add value to our daily lives. In this moment, the choice of information or distraction is a welcome one. But either is the correct choice for those of us following the moral imperative to stay home,” concludes Conviva’s report.

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