Virgin TV on demand consumption soars
April 8, 2020
With schools closing across the UK last month, Virgin TV customers turned to the likes of Peppa Pig, Paddington Bear and Paw Patrol to keep their children entertained – according to analysis of Virgin TV’s On Demand programming for March.
With children staying at home, Virgin TV saw 1.6 million views of its collection of On Demand kids’ TV shows – a 37 per cent increase on the month before.
Views peaked during the week of March 23rd – the first week after schools shut – and with Virgin Media making seven of its most popular children’s channels including, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito, available to Virgin TV customers at no extra cost until April 21st.
Overall, Henry Danger was the most watched kids’ TV series in March, followed by Peppa Pig, The Adventures of Paddington Bear and Paw Patrol – all available on Nickelodeon.
With more people staying indoors, Virgin TV customers’ appetite for On Demand programming soared, with almost 28 million views of hit TV shows and blockbuster films in March.
March recorded the largest number of On Demand views for 2020.
March 28th was the most popular day in the month for customers watching On Demand, with the first episode of Channel 4’s comedy, Friday Night Dinner, Elton John musical biopic, Rocketman (via Sky Movies) and Channel’5 Murder Mystery helping to keep the nation laughing, singing and guessing.
The most popular programmes for March were ITV’s dramas, Liar, and Flesh and Blood.
David Bouchier, Virgin Media’s Chief Digital Entertainment Officer, commented: “I’m pleased that, with everyone obliged to stay at home, we have been able to entertain Virgin TV’s youngest viewers and provide them with even more On Demand kids TV programmes. At this difficult time we’ve made a number of extra channels available at no extra cost, so our customers have plenty of great TV to enjoy over the coming weeks.”