Time spent watching TV content in the United States rose 4% in H1 2021

Reported time spent watching TV shows and movies in the United States in the first half of 2021 rose 4% over last year, as screen-entertainment spending declined by 1%. Viewing hours from January through June 2021 made up nearly one-third (30%) of the time US consumers spent entertaining themselves, according to the “Evolution of Entertainment” report from The NPD Group. However, there were large differences between the first quarter and the second, since the first quarter compares against viewing before the rise in Covid-19 cases led to widespread shelter-at-home orders, while the second quarter compares against the rising viewership levels achieved as people across the US stayed home.

The study also revealed that watching movies in movie theaters remained significantly below pre-pandemic levels in the first half of the year. In part, entertainment time was diverted to in-home viewing through premium release windows and the proliferation of Netflix and other subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services. However, the reduced number of theatrical movie releases limits the flow of new release movies into the ecosystem so there is less content available through other video distribution channels.

SVOD engagement has also pulled back, as consumers spend more of their time on going out to eat, travel, and other experiential activities. Time spent on experiences has grown 104% this year compared with last year. Traditional content viewing on cable, satellite TV, and packaged media was found to continue to migrate to streaming and free streaming video (FAST/AVOD) is now a growing supplement to viewers’ SVOD services.

“Looking ahead, the mandate for the industry is to retain viewer engagement and win the battle for share of viewers’ time. As consumers migrate back to experiential activities, the available time to engage in watching TV shows and movies will naturally decline,”  commented John Buffone, Connected Intelligence and Media Entertainment Industry Analyst for NPD.