Watching TV and streaming online during the lockdown

Picture copyright
Netflix

Picture caption

Comedy sequence The Good Place may be seen on Netflix, which noticed a rise in new subscribers

Lockdown measures enforced because of the Covid-19 pandemic led to a surge in TV watching and on-line streaming, in line with Ofcom.

The watchdog’s annual examine into the UK’s media habits recommended adults, a lot of them caught indoors, considered for 40% of their waking hours, on common.

Time spent on subscription streaming companies additionally doubled throughout April.

On the top of lockdown, adults spent a median of six hours and 25 minutes every day looking at screens.

Display time total was up nearly a 3rd (31%) on final 12 months.

Individuals watched streaming companies, similar to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, for one hour 11 minutes per day, and 12 million individuals joined a service they hadn’t used beforehand. Three million of those viewers had by no means subscribed to any service earlier than.

The bulk signed as much as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, though Disney+ overtook Now TV because the third hottest paid-for streaming platform.

Older viewers, who usually watch extra conventional broadcast TV, elevated their use of streaming platforms, too.

One third of 55-64-year-olds, and 15% of individuals aged 65+ used subscription companies within the early weeks of lockdown.

The examine, entitled Media Nations 2020, recommended that as lockdown measures eased in direction of the tip of June, the uplift in streaming companies held agency – 71% up on the identical time final 12 months.

This determine additionally included individuals viewing extra non-broadcast content material on platforms like YouTube and gaming websites.

And greater than half of UK adults (55%) with new streaming subscriptions mentioned they’ll preserve them and spend the identical period of time watching streamed content material in future.

Nonetheless in July, Netflix warned buyers that subscriber development will sluggish, after it it added greater than 10 million subscribers within the earlier three months, bringing the overall of recent subscribers to 26 million in 2020.

In distinction, Netflix noticed 28 million new subscribers for the entire of 2019.

Media playback is unsupported in your machine

Media captionCoronation Road filming has resumed following a break throughout the pandemic

“Progress is slowing as customers get by the preliminary shock of coronavirus and social restrictions,” the corporate mentioned.

As for the general public service broadcasters – BBC, ITV, STV, Channel Four and Channel 5 – they achieved their highest mixed month-to-month share of broadcast TV viewing (59%) in additional than six years in March, as individuals turned to trusted information companies for updates on the virus.

The BBC was the most well-liked supply of reports and details about Covid-19 – utilized by 82% of adults throughout the first week of lockdown.

Broadcasters’ video-on demand companies additionally acquired a lift in lockdown. Dramas Regular Individuals and Killing Eve helped BBC iPlayer entice a file 570m programme requests in Might 2020 – 72% greater than in Might 2019.

Channel 4’s on-demand service, All 4, generated 30% extra views amongst 16-34s within the first two weeks of lockdown in contrast with the identical interval in 2019; and viewers spent 82% extra time year-on-year watching ITV Hub.

Nonetheless, the enhance to PSBs’ linear audiences was short-lived as coronavirus interrupted manufacturing of soaps together with EastEnders, Coronation Road and Emmerdale, in addition to main sporting occasions just like the Olympics and leisure broadcasts such because the Glastonbury Competition.

By the tip of June and with lockdown easing, the period of time viewers spent watching conventional broadcast content material fell 44 minutes to 3 hours and two minutes per day. Broadcast TV viewing is now comparably decrease than it was in 2014-2017, though it stays 11% greater than this time final 12 months.

Observe us on Fb, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If in case you have a narrative suggestion electronic mail [email protected]