Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we all had to change our way of living. Various restrictions were imposed in almost any country worldwide. People were supposed to stay home and avoid going out or having personal contact with others. In this way, the number of activities you can actually do drastically dropped. So, watching TV was something we all did a lot. And by a lot, we mean bench watching entire seasons one after the other. Let’s look at how the pandemic changed our TV viewing habits and is it for good.
How the pandemic has changed TV viewing patterns
It wasn’t a surprise that not long after the restrictions were imposed, we all grabbed the remote control and turned to the TV for a bit of distraction and entertainment. Jumping from channel to channel just to find something to watch. But after 3-4 days of sitting at home, even shows we said we were never watching because they are just not as interesting became a part of our ‘to-watch’ list.
Streaming services made watching movies and shows so much easier for all of us. We could rewatch favorite shows or catch up on all the others we just didn’t have time for before that. If you already had a smart TV, then you were definitely more than happy, but many other people bought one exactly during the pandemic. If you are a new Fire TV user, then you should check out the FireStickTricks website so you can be the first to know about all the tips for having a smooth cord-cutting experience. Smart TVs and services like FireStick allowed us access to a neverending catalog of movies and TV series and many other entertainment options like apps, games, music streaming, and more. And this is actually leading us to our first pattern.
More users preferred streaming
TV viewing numbers went up a lot during the pandemic, but the numbers of new users or returning ones on the stemming services were even higher. There are a couple of reasons behind it:
- TV channels broadcasted too much bad news — At some point, we all had enough of the daily statistics about new cases and what was happening with the pandemic. People wanted to turn on the TV to escape from reality and stop thinking about COVID for a bit, but it was impossible with the constant news about it.
- TV content is not that diverse — By subscribing to a streaming service, you have access to all the content on it at any time you want. You also can skip some parts that are a bit boring or repeat the ones you love. But you need to watch whatever is broadcast on TV, and you don’t have control over it.
- Streaming services offer new content all the time — TV channels usually take a bit more time to release new content – movies, TV series channels, shows, etc. When with streaming services, you will find new content all the time.
Those are just some of the main reasons many people who didn’t have subscriptions for streaming services decided to reorient. Even the viewers that were happy with the content on TV because they were just sporadically using it got tired of the limited content and switched to streaming.
TV isn’t anymore only for weekends
After spending a day in the office on workdays, many people were looking for different outdoor activities or anything they could do but not be again in a closed space at home. However, this became impossible when the pandemic started, and we were supposed to stay at home. So, watching TV only in the evenings or over the weekends was no longer the case.
Many people used TV as a distraction all over the clock, especially if they weren’t working during those months. Others used it for background noise. No matter if you were actively watching or the TV was on without you being concentrated on it, this affected the numbers of channel broadcasters and your habits as well. Even though we are almost back to normal, we got used to watching TV, and we can’t just give it up. So this is a new habit practically all of us picked up on.
Watching more fun and entertaining content
Watching something fun and entertaining is also the new pattern we see. Before, people loved watching educational content or something more serious on TV like the news shows with political or other types of discussions. And this type of content is still very popular, but even more popular is watching fun and entertaining content.
Such movies or TV shows can make you forget about anything happening in your life. It was a way to escape from the pandemic. This is why comedy shows and movies were extremely popular and still are. Here are some of the best ones to come out in 2022. Because of the high interest in such content, many TV channels also adapted their programs by playing favorite comedies again and broadcasting new titles.
Final words
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our habits changed. We couldn’t do the things we love because of the restrictions, and we had to find what to replace them with. Many of us found comfort and a way to escape from reality for a bit by watching some TV. But our habits for TV viewing also changed. We are watching more but also just some types of content. Will we stop watching so much TV once the world is back to normal, or are we already so used to the way of living now? Only time will tell but till then, enjoy some quality TV.