Among those surveyed with a smart TV, 40% said they purchased it during the pandemic, and almost half of those people purchased it after vaccines became widely available. (Getty/FS-Stock)
by Christian Balderas
Source: www.fiercevideo.com, August 2021

American COVID-19 television viewing habits may be here to stay despite fewer pandemic restrictions and growing optimism, a study conducted by Hub Entertainment Research has found.

In a survey taken in June 2021 of 3,000 U.S. consumers, ages 14 to 74 who watch at least one hour of TV, half of respondents said they’re watching the same amount of TV today compared to the height of the pandemic last year. A third of these respondents are watching even more TV.

Moreover, the study indicates that more Americans are purchasing smart TVs throughout the pandemic.

Among those surveyed with a smart TV, 40% said they purchased it during the pandemic, and almost half of those people purchased it after vaccines became widely available.

These numbers are notable considering shifting attitudes and behaviors about the current state of the pandemic.

Of those surveyed, 60% of respondents believe we are almost out of the pandemic and almost a quarter of respondents said they’re not concerned about the pandemic, a 70% increase from February.

This comes as no surprise as we’ve seen more people emerging from cautious lockdowns. Travel bookings have increased, return to work has been underway and in-person dining, bars, clubs and concerts have returned in an increasing number of cities throughout the country.

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For the entertainment industry, the reopening of movie theatres was the most highly anticipated and monitored.

While the domestic box office has done fairly well with the release of major blockbusters, experts say the industry is still far from pre-pandemic sales with a decline of 81.3% from 2019, according to Comscore.

“COVID-19 showed a great number of consumers that it is far more convenient and cost-efficient to stream films and TV shows,” said Gene Del Vecchio, an adjunct professor of marketing at USC. “More studios will launch films simultaneously in theaters and streaming, or streaming alone, which will deeply cut into theater business.”

The Hub study indicates Vecchio’s statement may continue to remain true, finding that 38% of those surveyed prefer to mostly stream at home, 36% will mostly go to the theatre and 26% will do both equally.

“Before the pandemic, more viewers were already paying a premium to watch new movies at home,” said Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub and one of the study authors. “HBO Max and Disney poured more gas on the fire by redefining the release window for new movies.  Add in the fact that many upgraded their home viewing tech during the pandemic, and we have perfect conditions for driving consumption of PVOD even after anxiety about theaters has faded completely.”