The coronavirus crisis has had immediate impacts on consumption patterns and engagement across streaming and social media, with marked differences in the past month alone. To understand the recent impact of Covid-19, Conviva analysed global streaming and social media data for insights.
In its “Streaming in the Time of Coronavirus” report, Conviva studied global streaming data from the 21-day period from March 3 to 23, comparing the last seven-period to the previous two. It found that, on a global scale, streaming jumped more than 20% as compared with the previous two weeks, and nearly 15% as opposed to the previous week.
According to Conviva, primetime has shifted earlier, and as viewers watched throughout the day rather than just tuning in for the evening primetime, the daytime viewing hours of 10 AM - 5 PM rose significantly, nearly 40% overall, with a peak increase in time spent streaming of 43% for the 11 AM hour as compared with the prior two weeks.
Conversely, primetime viewing experienced a drop in time spent, with 8 - 11 PM down 2% over the same time period. The off-hours viewing spilled into early morning hours, which were up 26%, and early fringe, up 20%. Meanwhile, late fringe and overnight stayed relatively static.
The increase was led by the Americas and Oceania, up nearly 27% each, as well as Africa, up nearly 33% as compared to two weeks prior. Europe saw a smaller lift as compared to two weeks prior, up only 2.2% over the same time period, but has seen larger increases in recent days with the launch of Disney+ in the region's key markets. By contrast, Asia historically a mobile-first streaming market, netted a decline, down 10% as viewers stayed home.
Meanwhile, social media has become the platform for local news in the United States, in particular Facebook. Local news accounts in the US increased 118% in average views per video and 247% in total video views, the largest increase in viewing over the past 30 days. Among global news outlets, YouTube tallied the largest increase in videos, up 25%, but saw a significant decrease in the output of local news content, down 18%. Engagements were also up on social news, with Twitter leading in engagement with 150% increase in average engagements per video for global news accounts, and 196% 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, 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,” Conviva’s report concludes.
Related News
