Consumer Media Habits During COVID-19

The pandemic has dramatically reshaped the media landscape, rerouting the attention of consumers in unexpected ways. It's not at all surprising that people confined to their homes have been indulging in more online activities as a way to pass the time. But the kind of content that is drawing the most eyeballs may surprise you.

People Are Glued to The News

Cable news channels have had their ratings doubled and broadcast shows in general have experienced a ratings bump of 10-20%. Meanwhile, the New York Times is experiencing unprecedented engagement and an influx of new subscribers that has exploded all expectations, and radio news stations have seemed to retain their audience value more than other formats. Twitter has also experienced a bump on their number of daily active users, which are up 23% from last year.

People are Looking for New Ways to Connect

As people search for connection virtually, Facebook's messaging services have seen increased use of over 50% in the areas most affected by the coronavirus. On Messenger and WhatsApp, voice and video calling have doubled. Snapchat has increased its number of daily active users by 11 million bringing it to a total of 229 million.

Pinterest has seen an intensification of user engagement as people stuck at home seek out projects to keep them busy. This has resulted in a record number of new Pinterest boards being created as people search Pinterest and save ideas.

Video Games Are Filling The Void Left By Sports And School

It’s no surprise Verizon has reported that Video Game usage has been up 75 percent in the United States since the outset of the pandemic, with E-sports also seeing new levels of interest. This may be attributable to students who have been forced to stay at home entirely as well as students who are now working on a block schedule and spending more time at home during the week.

Streaming is Up

Netflix has added 15 million new subscribers far surpassing any previous growth estimates and video streaming across the board is up 12 percent according to Verizon. However, streaming platforms are bracing for the possibility that when the pandemic ends people will return to their normal media consumption habits and cancel their subscriptions

What do these shifts in media habits mean for marketers looking to reach a specific target audience segment? At Furman Roth, our expertise is helping clients to maximize their brand impact and ROI by reaching the right audience with the right message at the right time. Reach us here to learn more!