Shift In TV Viewing Behavior During the Pandemic: A Statistical Study

The global threat of coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 drew the world into a surge of media consumption. Leading streaming sites attracted new users, TV consumption increased significantly, and more Americans were drawn to bigger screens. Sales increased by 53% for TVs larger than 65-inches in Q1 2020. Several studies suggested an increase in OTT viewership & streaming platforms. Factors such as time spent with families, ease in accessibility, type of regional content served on US-based platforms made them a huge success. Platforms such as Netflix, NBC, and Disney created TV applications for bringing consumers directly to their sites. Also, since 40% of US households were using a smart device, smart TVs became more popular than ever. 

The Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) allowed consumers to watch popular content at a fixed rate per month. Most of the popular platforms such as Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix were included in these TV packages or bundles. Streaming services saw a huge increase in original and short-form video content as well. It is expected that in the coming months, streaming platforms will observe an even higher engagement and better subscriber growth, while a permanent shift will take place from linear to digital platforms.