STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS FUELED THE USE OF ON-DEMAND PAY-TV IN THE U.S.

According to research released by The Diffusion Group (TDG), 7% of U.S. broadband households upgraded their service in last month, a rate that greatly varies due to the number of children under 18 living at home. The research center's recent survey received input from 1,995 U.S. adult broadband users. These insights are part of TDG’s ongoing research to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on media behavior, and how behaviors will shift again as consumers face the “new normal.” 

The survey indicated that 4% of broadband households without children under 18 at home upgraded their internet service in April. The number multiplies for households that have children under 18, with the upgrade rate 2.4 times greater at 9.7%, among single-child households, 3.4 times, 13.7% greater among two-child households, and 5.3 times (20.9%) greater among homes with three or more children at home.

Households with multiple children were most likely to increase their usages of OTT SVOD services, such as Netflix, which holds a 61% vs. 48% among single-child and 44% among no-child households, have more family members using the internet at the same time at 61% vs. 56% and 38%, respectively. With a drastic increase in adults working from home, users’ tasks require a faster speed of service at 57% vs. 52% and 46%. Consumers have also Increased the use of PC/console gaming at 50% vs. 44% and 36%,  and their need for immediate access to news related to COVID-19, at 32% vs. 26% and 20%. “Each of these factors rises in significance as the number of users and time spent in-home increases,” Michael Greeson, TDG President and Principal Analyst said. 

Responses relating to shifts in the importance of a home broadband service network varied depending on the number of children at home. 56% of households without children under 18 stated that having a broadband connection became more important during the pandemic. The rate was much higher among single-child households at 69%, 42% “significantly” so, and even greater among households with multiple children at 72% top-2, 46% “significantly” so.