Which are the five biggest entertainment trends?

Consumers have changed its content consuming behaviors during the pandemic, adopting some new habits that are here to stay or stoping doing things they used to do, GWI noted in its latest global entertainment report, which analyzes the five main consumers’ media habits today.

❶  ONLINE TV REACHES PEAK SUBSCRIPTION

Like a lot of other digital media, online TV gathered pace during the pandemic. In 2020, consumers globally spent 1 hour and 26 minutes watching online TV on an average day. Growth has slowed down since then though, and broadcast TV remains firmly ahead.

“With that said, advertisers and marketers should bear in mind that online TV is progressively snatching up a larger portion of the overall viewing time. In 2015, 71% of TV watching happened on broadcast TV. Fast forward to 2021, and this figure had shrunk to 56%. It is likely this gap between online and broadcast TV will fully close in the future, and will largely be driven by younger consumers,”   the report claims.

As people moved to set up their home offices, their day-to-day work routine and behaviors changed too. GWI’s Zeitgeist research from December showed almost 4 in 10 fully remote workers watch TV shows and movies before starting work. As their third most popular morning activity just behind checking social media and watching the news, it suggests streaming has carved a new place in consumers’ lives. It also gained new audiences: since 2015, Gen X’s time spent watching online TV has increased at nearly the same levels as Gen Z (with an average of 35 minutes a day).

Although the pandemic has certainly diversified streaming’s user base, keeping the momentum going has not been an easy feat. GWI’s global data shows the industry may have reached “peak subscription” in the West, with the number saying they have paid for a movie or TV streaming service starting to plateau. As the battle for eyeballs intensifies, subscription fatigue follows.

❷  MUSIC STREAMING PICKS UP STEAM

Music has remained the most popular personal interest since GWI started tracking it in the third quarter of 2018, and today it tops the charts in 21 of its 47 markets. “The beauty of audio is that it can be consumed in combination with other media or behaviors – and it often is,”  the report says. For example, 44% of fully-office-based or hybrid workers say they listen to music while commuting; of them, 38% browse social media at the same time.

❸  SOCIAL CONTINUES TO CATER TO CONSUMERS’ LOVE FOR VIDEO CONTENT

Fueled by the popularity of creative, visual, video-heavy platforms like Instagram and TikTok, more and more consumers are flocking to these apps to consume and create content. Across all generations, short-form video content beats out long-form, with the former growing 5% among baby boomers since the first quarter 2021. TikTok may have led the way initially for this type of snackable content, but Instagram’s Reels is quickly picking up speed in a very short space of time, growing 27% since the fourth quarter of 2020. With consumers craving a more honest, less polished online experience, short-form is primed to give them what they want.

❹  GAMING = A SPACE FOR EVERYONE

Similar to other forms of media, gaming benefited from the pandemic. However, this has since slowed down as people return to their normal routines. In the second quarter of 2020, when the pandemic first hit, 87% of consumers said they play games on any device – this has steadily declined and now stands at 83%.

It is still a huge portion of consumers who play games though, and it is been making serious gains among older consumers too. In fact, pre-pandemic in the fourth quarter 2019, 56% of baby boomers said they play games via any device, climbing to 65% today.

Mobiles have been the driving force behind increased adoption, growing by 8% since 2016. Alongside this, free-to-play games have hooked more people in – 34% of gamers have played or downloaded a free-to-play game in the last month, compared to 18% who have purchased a physical game or one from an online store.

❺  ESPORTS FOLLOWERS ARE OPEN TO SPONSORSHIP, WITH SOME CAVEATS

Esports continues to cement its status as a key form of entertainment. As it increasingly integrates into pop culture, more companies and investors are closely watching this space. Similar to gaming, esports is also attracting attention from a diverse range of gamers. Just over 40% of female gamers are esports followers, which is not miles behind their male counterparts at 59%. At the same time, a sizable chunk of older gamers are esports followers – around half of Gen X gamers and a third of boomer gamers.

"Plenty of brands, including non-gaming ones, have managed to run some successful campaigns. As tempting as it might be to dive in head-first, failing to understand these audiences on a fundamental level is a misstep. Taking the time to understand what makes them tick is important,"  the report concluded.