Data: Pandemic drives 24% rise in TV consumption
June 24, 2020
According to data from digital TV integrated software solutions provider Mirada, there has been an unprecedented rise in worldwide TV content consumption since the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown.
Mirada’s findings, from its LogIQ data analytics platform, compare consumption across its customers’ pay-TV services before and during the coronavirus crisis in the territories in which they operate, from February 1st 2020 up to April 30th 2020.
During this time, customers including izzi Telecom in Mexico and One Communications in Bermuda have implemented a number of initiatives to keep their subscribers entertained during the quarantine in their territories, from opening up premium and additional kids and news linear channels, to adding more titles to their on-demand catalogues and even offering generous discounts on premium content.
Between February 1st 2020 and April 30th 2020, total linear TV (traditional, scheduled TV) consumption increased by 24 per cent, with an 18 per cent increase in average linear consumption between Monday and Friday. As expected during a global pandemic, part of this increase comes from the huge growth in consumption of linear news channels, which escalated by over 80 per cent during the period. Meanwhile, the selection of premium linear channels opened up by Mirada’s customers, to which consumers newly subscribed, saw more than a 170 per cent increase in consumption.
Video on Demand (VoD) consumption across the pay-TV operators’ platforms increased by 41 per cent, with a 32 per cent increase in average VoD consumption between Monday and Friday. The data also revealed a significant increase in VoD consumption of children’s content, which rose by 56 per cent. The data showed that children are now watching more VoD content during the week, with a 79 per cent increase in total consumption between Monday and Friday.
Additionally, children’s VoD content consumed on a tablet device increased by a staggering 122 per cent, giving insight into the impact home-schooling has on viewing habits and screen time amongst children, with many parents seeming to have relaxed or implemented unlimited screen time policies.
As well as an unprecedented increase in consumption, the aggregated data also suggests a large shift amongst consumers towards purchasing additional TV content from Transactional Video on Demand (TVoD) catalogues, with purchases of one-off items of TVoD content increasing by 48 per cent. With more audiences staying at home during the week, Mirada’s customers saw a 49 per cent increase in average TVoD purchases made across their platforms between Monday and Friday, increasing the proportion of monthly TVoD purchases made mid-week by 6 per cent.
“Many of our customers around the world implemented solidarity initiatives to keep their subscribers entertained at home as lockdowns were announced across their territories,” notes Jose Luis Vazquez, CEO of Mirada. “This included opening up premium linear channels and offering more free kids and news channels, adding more content to their on-demand services and even providing generous discounts on premium content services.”
“We therefore expected our data analytics platform to show an increase in consumption. However, our findings were truly extraordinary, particularly as TV operators might only expect to see a monthly variation in consumption of around 2 per cent.”
“We are delighted the data confirms the success of the initiatives taken by our customers, offering people more access to a variety of entertainment, which hopefully gives a welcome reprieve from the challenges of living in lockdown.”
“It is interesting to consider the potential long-term impact recent lockdown measures will have on TV consumption, given they have introduced large numbers of consumers to pay-TV services that might otherwise not have considered them,” he concludes.