TV in the Time of Crisis – Connecting and Comforting

We took a look at the impact of television in people39s lives by comparing current viewing patterns in the most recent weeks to the month or so prior to the COVID19 outbreak Here are some takeawaysTV is more popular than ever across a range of programming genres It is not simply news viewing but much more Usage levels are up dramatically compared to prepandemic and socialdistancing directives And the so called quotadsales demographicsquot including A1849 and A2554 are flocking to television Daytime is showing the greatest bump as more people are home during the day But viewing growth is widespread across Primetime Late Night Daytime and Evening NewsViewership is seeing more growth in regions most impacted by the virus In the past five weeks drama comedy and reality prime programs are attracting more A2554 audiences from the Northeast particularly in comedyPrimetime comedy is attracting more upscale viewers post pandemic as higherincome earners stay home and turn to lightfunny programming to get through the crisisDespite the headlines that say otherwise growth is by no means simply for streaming Linear TV has actually gained more than six million more viewers in the average minute compared to prepandemic levels while streaming has increased by about 4 million viewers In other words the demand for content across platforms is very strongCoviewing is accelerating as families are watching TV together A2554 are watching broadcast primetime alongside their kids and teens at a 21 higher rate than they had before the outbreak Notably CBS39 rate of coviewing has increased by 24 more than any other broadcast networkFun and familiar content is seeing the greatest gains during the pandemic On a percentage basis broadcast sitcoms have seen the largest gains among A2554 Viewers seek a laugh a familiar favorite show say goodbye to a longtime series such as Modern Family and rally around the Cooper family on Young Sheldon the most watched comedy on televisionThe need for familiarity and escapism was evident in the 20 broadcast programs showing most growth among A2554s during the pandemic Gains were seen in series finales of longtime fan favorites Hawaii Five0 and Modern Family as well as established popular dramas NCIS Blue Bloods Grey39s Anatomy and This Is Us Even more recent fan favorites FBI FBI Most Wanted The Good Doctor and New Amsterdam increased audience as did lighthearted shows such as The Masked Singer Ellen39s Game of Games Mom Bob Hearts Abishola and SuperstoreCable primetime increases are driven by cable news however lifestyle networks also made gains led by Food Network as more people are cooking at homeMusicthemed specials are also popular offering cathartic family entertainment One World Together at Home delivered nearly 21m viewers more than any Saturday show other than NFL playoffs Disney Family Singalong 10m viewers Grammy Salute to Prince highest A1849 Grammy Salute delivery in three years and others provide direct help in some cases and lift spirits in all casesEvening News is having a renaissance with all major newscasts seeing large scale increases In addition to Medical and Economic updates trusted experts like Dr Fauci are generating a great deal of attention and interestCBS Continues to LeadThe role CBS plays in American lives during times of crisis is built on years of leadership as America39s mostwatched television network and can be seen in our recent performance where viewers are increasingly turning to CBS to stay both informed and entertainedIn overall performance CBS will finish the 20192020 season as America39s mostwatched network for the 12th consecutive year outperforming our closest competitor by nearly 1 million viewers We not only rule in Primetime for the 12th consecutive season we also lead in Late Night 3rd consecutive and Daytime 34th consecutiveIn Primetime CBS boasts three of the top 5 programs with the largest viewer growth since the start of quotstay at homequot orders seven of the eight top new series and the season39s mostwatched primetime Comedy Drama and News program Our Primetime originals are up significantly more than the average of the competitionDaytime is also growing Our regularly scheduled programming gained doubledigits with recordsetting audience deliveries with larger growth than all competitors during this crisisIn News CBS39 legacy and leadership is shining through The legendary 60 Minutes ranks 1 among all Primetime programs for three of the last seven weeks and among the top five every week Further every CBS News series across the programming day has grown significantly since the crisis Face the Nation had its best week in 28 years Sunday Morning posted its best viewer average since 1994 CBS Evening News had its mostwatched week in more than three years Notably our news gains are cross platform CBS News video viewership is increasing dramatically on social platformsConclusionWe know that TV plays an outsized role during any time of crisis But its ability to bring comfort knowledge and togetherness is especially evident today Since the pandemic outbreak and the subsequent quotshelterinplacequot policies people are turning to TV in larger numbers and across all dayparts And more viewers are turning to CBS amp8211 America39s largest and unashamedly quotbig tentquot network amp8211 than anywhere elseClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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TV in the Time of Crisis – Connecting and Comforting

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Radha Subramanyam

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TV in the Time of Crisis – Connecting and Comforting

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