Watching More TV? You’re Not Alone

4.2.20 | Ann Bremer

Just three months ago, I was reading an article about the decline in primetime show viewing. Except for the usual top draws (“NCIS”, “This Is Us”, “The Good Doctor” to name a few) non-sports primetime viewing declined by about 14% during the fall 2019 season[1].

Well, what a difference those three months made. In early 2020, Americans were already spending just shy of 12 hours each day with media platforms, and 75% of U.S. consumers have streaming subscriptions or TV-connected devices.[2]

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic spurred a rapid change in the way people consume media. For the week ending on March 29th, live broadcast primetime viewing was up 6%[3] over the week prior, reversing some long-time trends, as people in 30 out of 50 states are now being encouraged to stay home and mostly stay inside. FOX (19% higher) leads the pack with popular family shows like “The Masked Singer” and “Lego Masters.” NBC and ABC both benefitted from new episodes of many of their popular series. CBS was the one network down due to the cancellation of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Live viewing increases were not just limited to primetime. Daytime programs, cable news & financial networks and all news dayparts on local TV are seeing double-digit growth changes in these early weeks of social distancing.[4]

Comscore released preliminary data on increased streaming usage with the shift to stay/work-at-home. By mid-March, there had already been a 25% increase in over-the-top (OTT) usage hours year-over-year. The Big Four streaming services still account for most OTT hours viewed on both Connected TVs and streaming boxes/sticks. Netflix leads the way, followed by YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu.[5]

Those statistics I just mentioned were all on a national level. On a local market level, it is actually our home market of Denver that shows the highest growth in total viewing change out of the top 25 media markets. There was a 22% increase from the week of March 9th to March 16th in average quarter hour viewers in the Denver DMA.[6]

What is so hard to believe about all these viewing increases is that they have taken place in a time without any live major sports. Sure, you can catch re-airs of high-profile past games across various networks, and ESPN2 has brought back “The Ocho” on at least one occasion (I would be lying if I said my family didn’t watch the 2007 World Sport Stacking Championships!). That said, I don’t think any of us could have ever guessed that a spike in TV viewership like this would come without sports.

To Colleen’s point in her intro blog post to this series, with the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic fluid and uncertain, it is unclear how long these changes will last and what the long-term effect on the television and streaming industries will be. But I for one will try to enjoy this time working from home and when we can, snuggle up with my two little girls & husband and consume more TV and streaming content than ever before!

[1] Media Post’s Television News Daily, 12/31/2019

[2] Nielsen Total Audience Report Q1 2020, based on Q3 2019 usage

[3] Media Post’s Television News Daily, 3/31/2020

[4] Comscore Understanding Media Consumption During the COVID-19 Pandemic Webinar, 3/31/2020

[5] Comscore Insights Blog, 3/27/2020

[6] Nielsen COVID-19 Local Television Usage Trends by Market 3/22/2020 release