Conviva report shows big boost in daytime streaming during the pandemic
New data from Conviva details streaming TV growth and viewing trends since the onset of the COVID–19 crisis in early March.
New data from Conviva details streaming TV growth and viewing trends since the onset of the COVID–19 crisis in early March.
As someone recently pointed out, it’s hard to think you are helping to save the world by watching Netflix at home. But that is one of the many ironies of life in the pandemic. And, not surprisingly, a new report – “Streaming in the Time of Coronavirus” from streaming media intelligence provider Conviva – finds that streaming during the pandemic has climbed sharply.
It’s up 26 percent in the U.S. and 20 percent globally. The increase in daytime viewing more clearly reflects the boost in stay-at-home behavior: the 10AM to 5PM window increased 39 percent between March 9 and 23.
Early morning hours are also up 26 percent, and pre-primetime fringe rose 20 percent. Interestingly, the only drop – a negligible 2 percent down – was in primetime.
For streaming video providers and advertisers, a key question is whether these bumps will carry over in any degree once the pandemic subsides.
“We anticipate streaming providers will retain new viewers long after the coronavirus has ended,” Conviva CEO Bill Demas said in a statement, “as viewers embrace the variety and flexibility of the medium.”
Conviva also looked at news on social media during the February 21- March 23 block, compared to the previous 30 days, and found what it described as “exponential growth.” Total views of local news outlets on Facebook were up 247 percent during that period, for an average increase of 118 percent in views per video.
Twitter saw a 196 percent increase in average engagement per video and a 63 percent increase in overall engagement with local news accounts. On YouTube, there was a 50 percent increase in engagement (likes, dislikes and comments) for videos.
To keep up with the demand for local info, local news organizations are boosting their posts on Facebook by 19 percent.
The data for this report was collected by Conviva from three billion streaming video applications, accounting for about 1.5 trillion real-time transactions daily. Social data came from nearly 800 news accounts globally, and from 789 local and city news outlets in the U.S.
This is Conviva’s first report on the topic. Although it doesn’t currently have plans for another coronavirus-specific report, Demas told ClickZ, the topic may find its way into the company’s regular reports.