U.S., U.K. Consumers Eye Subscription Services Amid Shutdown

New data from GlobalWebIndex (GWI) indicates that 40 percent of U.S. and U.K. respondents said they were considering purchasing new subscription services during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Media consumption was up 87 percent in the U.S. as stay-at-home measures were implemented at the end of March, while U.K. consumption was up 80 percent, GWI says. Broadcast TV, online videos and streaming all saw significant gains, according to GWI’s Coronavirus Research—Series 4: Media Consumption and Sport. Broadcast TV viewing was up 38 percent across all ages, with Gen X (38-56) leading the way with consumption up 45 percent and Boomers (57-64) up 42 percent. Consumption of online videos (YouTube/TikTok) was up 38 percent, most notably among Gen Z (16-23) at 51 percent. Online TV/streaming films was up 37 percent, led by millennials at 41 percent.

The study also indicates that there’s a strong appetite from consumers to pay for more media subscriptions during the shutdown. Per GWI, 40 percent of U.S. and U.K. respondents said they were considering purchasing new services. Netflix and Disney+ are among the most in-demand platforms; 18 percent of respondents are considering a Netflix subscription, 14 percent are looking at Disney+ and 11 percent Amazon Prime.

With sports at a standstill, fans are still eager for content, including behind-the-scenes videos, archives, interaction with athletes, social-media live streams and console and mobile games.