As expected, streaming has ballooned for Netflix, YouTube, and other streaming platforms during the coronavirus pandemic.
The amount of time people have spent on streaming sites has risen by 34 percent since the beginning of March, with total usage growing from 116.4 billion minutes during the week of March 2 to 156.1 billion minutes during the week of March 16, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Collective minutes for March 16 to 22 was “more than double that of the same week in 2019,” the outlet writes, citing Nielsen.
“Streaming is a big part of a lot of consumers' lives right now. We have seen a tremendous growth in just how much streaming is going on over the last few weeks as COVID-19 becomes more prevalent across many parts of the country,” Scott N. Brown, head of TV product at Nielsen, told THR. “The amount of time viewers are spending streaming more than doubled in the past year alone, and it's nearly a quarter of the total time spent on TV among homes that have the ability to stream.”
Brown mentioned that even though viewers are watching more TV news now, “at some point, [viewers] are going to want to get away from the outside world and take a break. That is the real magic of streaming, being in control of what you watch entirely and being taken away from where you are—that's the power that entertainment gives consumers and during these times, that power is invaluable.”
Netflix landed the largest share of minutes during the week of March 16, with 29 percent of the collective minutes, or 45.4 billion minutes. Youtube claimed 20 percent, Hulu accounted for 10 percent, and Amazon, 9 percent. Nielsen classifies other platforms—such as Disney+ and CBS All Access—into an “other group,” which accounted for 31 percent during the same week. That group eclipsed Netflix’s minutes for the first time in the past month.
