The latest Havas Media report charting UK media consumption suggests that live TV viewing during the lockdown has decreased by three per cent over the last two weeks. The findings represent a drop in “people saying they’re consuming more [live TV] than they did prior to the coronavirus outbreak”.
The Havas Media Group Covid-19 Media Behaviours Report surveys UK consumers on a fortnightly basis. The most recent study was conducted between 27th and 28th April and had 1,498 respondents.
The findings show that the number of people saying they are watching more live TV than before the outbreak has dropped by three per cent since the last report. The decrease is most prominent in the 25 to 34-year-old age bracket which has declined 11 per cent. The 18 to 24-year-old demographic has seen an eight per cent net decrease.
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Stabilisation
The Havas report points to a general stabilisation in media consumption following an initial upswing in behaviour on channels such as live TV and social media.
“Our latest study shows that media consumption is continuing to stabilise after the initial surge in the first weeks of lockdown, although consumers, and younger audiences in particular, are starting to watch less live TV,” said Eva Grimmett, chief strategy officer at Havas Media Group.
“An increase in the use of LinkedIn perhaps reflects uncertainty around jobs, and the changing status of people’s employment.”
Making sense of the numbers
The report series is one of many in circulation trying to make sense of the consumption patterns of people in lockdown. Recent BARB and Thinkbox data tells us that live TV viewing in the UK has grown 22.7 per cent on average since 9th March. BARB data also shows that shared TV viewing has grown by 37 per cent since lockdown began, versus a 15% increase in watching TV alone.
Despite this, media companies are seeing an adverse effect on TV revenues with a recent Advertising Association/WARC report forecasting a 46.6 per cent decline in Q2 TV ad spend in the UK.
