News, Entertainment Consumption Soar in Europe

With sports consumption having “collapsed” in Europe amid the coronavirus pandemic, entertainment and news consumption have soared, according to Conviva.

Streaming across the continent was stable in March, Conviva says, unlike other parts of the world, which reported dramatic increases in streaming viewership as people stay at home during the COVID-19 outbreak.

With sports on hold, sports viewing hours plummeted by 91 percent last month. Sports usually accounts for about 30 percent of viewing time. Entertainment consumption, meanwhile, rose by 39 percent, and news viewing skyrocketed by 130 percent.

Conviva also indicates that VOD has overtaken live viewing; on-demand usage rose by 41 percent while live fell by 30 percent.

Meanwhile, the arrival in Europe of Disney+, as well as the continued presence of Netflix and Amazon, have “distracted some viewers from the home-grown streaming platforms,” Conviva says.

“The increase in VOD consumption is likely to indicate a longer-term shift to on-demand viewing behavior,” Conviva notes. The company also indicates that the value of distributors’ back catalogs will increase significantly. “As the release rate of fresh premium content reduces and captive audiences rediscover old content, the quantity and quality of back catalogs will be more important than ever.” The company also concludes that “sports will bounce back with a vengeance…. A pivot to e-sports among sports-centric publishers has demonstrated demand remains. With several tournaments touted to recommence behind closed doors, demand for sports broadcasting will be higher than ever.”