Media habits: The ‘winners’ & ‘losers’ of the pandemic
The pandemic has changed our habits and consequently the way we use and consume media. Pandemic lifestyle shifts have seen most of us spending more time at home and less time taking trips outside, for example. That has led to some intriguing – and surprising – trends in media consumption.
So, what are the new entrants in the global media landscape and how did the pandemic change everything? In its latest report “Global Media Landscape: Analyzing how the pandemic has changed media habits,” market research firm GWI put the numbers to these recent developments to figure out how consumers now spend their time.
These are the key insights at a glance:
- The gap between online and offline media is widening.
- Gaming and smart speakers benefited where cinema and the commute lost out.
- TV ad effectiveness is falling, but perceptions remain positive.
- More people are reading news, and with more scrutiny.
- The pandemic has given PCs/laptops renewed importance.
- Gaming now complements other forms of media.
- Against predictions, podcasts have thrived during the pandemic.
The pandemic edged online media ahead of offline
The Pandemic Has Boosted Online Media
Prior to the pandemic, online and offline media were neck-and-neck in terms of how much attention they command during the day, but now online are inching ahead of the offline. Initial lockdowns saw spikes for all behaviors, but since then the story is one of online media pulling ahead.
TV Ad Effectiveness Falling, But Perceptions Remain Positive
Though TV ads remain the most effective media channel for consumers to discover new brands, 2020 hints at change down the line; ads seen on social media overtook ads seen on TV among 16-24s for the first time.
For the time being, perception of TV ads tends to be more positive; internet users typically describe them as entertaining or informative, while ads on social media are generally considered more invasive.
More People Reading News
Since the early days of the pandemic, consumers have been turning to news with more regularity. Online press has seen particularly good growth for time spent, and reading the news is now the third most important reason people use social media.
According to the report, the daily time spent reading online press surpasses that spent on print by 23 minutes. It’s a gap that’s been widening year-on-year since GWI began tracking both forms of media in 2012. But in the last year, time spent reading press of any kind has increased; digitized media has become more accessible and, in some cases, more financially viable.
Data revealed that 66% of internet users were watching more news coverage, while 15% were reading more news in general – a clear sign of the pandemic’s impact on news consumption.
Gaming and Smart Speakers Benefited where Cinema and the Commute Lost Out
Few will be surprised that use of public transport and visits to the cinema have seen the biggest relative falls (along with effectiveness of those ad channels), as they were largely outlawed in many countries around the world.
Disruption to the commute has also had an impact on other channels, with radio ads becoming less impactful and time spent reading physical press declining.
Of the media that has seen increases, gaming is the closest thing to a “winner” of the pandemic. Not only is the use of gaming media up, it’s also become more embedded as a hub for other online activities (like watching TV).
Of the media that has seen increases, gaming is the closest thing to a “winner” of the pandemic.
Gaming Devices Opened Up Other Media Opportunities
While gaming became more prominent in 2020, gaming devices have opened up other media opportunities too; time spent on games consoles is now divided up into gaming or watching TV, GWI says.
Globally, gaming on any device fell 7% between 2016 and 2019, with particularly dramatic declines amid Gen X and baby boomers. At the same time, however, smartphone gaming climbed from 64% to 70%, as the likes of PC/laptops and games consoles began to subside.
As of 2020, people are spending more time playing games than they were before, brought on by long periods of lockdown and time lost elsewhere. Such is the impact that even baby boomers have shown considerable uptake in the activity, with 64% now playing games on any device – up 8% since 2019.
It’s worth noting that playing games is just a part of the bigger picture; 22% of internet users have watched a live gaming stream or esports tournament in the last month, which is more than the number who watch the English Premier League (EPL) worldwide.
The Pandemic Has Given PCs/Laptops Renewed Importance
As smartphones continue to be near-universal among the online population, PC/laptops, in decline prior to 2020, have become more important amid an increased reliance on working from home tools during the pandemic. Preliminary data from Q1 2021 suggests, however, that this decline is set to continue again.
Similarly, games consoles, also tapering off ahead of the pandemic, likely owe their slight climb in H1 2020 to a surge in gaming throughout the year – around 27% of internet users play games on them as of 2020.
Podcasts: a Surprising Pandemic Success Story
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, podcasts were widely predicted to suffer, with listening no longer able to happen on the commute. Instead, they have thrived. The number of podcast listeners grew 8% YoY, even during a pandemic.
In TV, comedy and drama are the most popular genres across all age groups, but for podcasts, factual genres become more important for the 45+. Music, understandably, is also more popular in audio form, while true crime hits the top 3 for 16-34s.
Podcasts have also put down roots in what some may consider to be unexpected places. Their popularity in Arab countries has encouraged streaming service Deezer to expand its footprint in the region, while China’s podcast market, sometimes viewed as synonymous with the country’s “pay for knowledge” economy, has seen audio-led storytelling gain traction.
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