What Tops Viewers’ Burgeoning Watch Lists Right Now?

Typically Americans are glued to their screens in the spring watching live sports including March Madness and MLB opening day amp160However since midMarch when the growing Coronavirus crisis forced all major sports to shelve their action viewers have been searching for replacements amp160Instead of basketball or baseball theyamp8217re bingeing on cable reality shows dramas and news according to a new report by Ampersand an audiencebased multiscreen TV ad sales and tech firmCable news networksamp160haveamp160enjoyed the biggest bump during the day between 9 am and 4 pmamp160 Since March 10 CNN Fox News and to a lesser extent MSNBC have seen ratings steadily climb as homebound viewers tune in for the latest COVID19 news 2020 election updates and daily White House briefingsDuring the week of March 15 among viewers 25 to 54 years old CNN and Fox News claimed 12 of the top 20 shows mostwatched cable shows including daytime and primetime per Ampersand analysis of Nielsen data amp160The weekamp8217s toprated show was CNNamp8217s Democratic Debate between Senator Bernie Sanders and Vice President Joe Biden which attracted 307 million impressionsIn the evenings viewers want to lighten things up amp160AMCamp8217s hit Walking Dead ranked as the No 3 overall show and the top entertainment program while cable reality shows including Bravoamp8217s Real Housewives of Atlanta VH1amp8217s Love and HipHop Atlanta and TLCamp8217s Real Fiancamp233 and Sister Wives also earned spots in the top 20amp160Even without live sports brands can still connect with consumers by advertising on these popular cable news and entertainment channels Ampersand notedTotal cable viewership is approaching Super Bowl levels as theamp160crisis continues amp160Households Using TV HUT levels during daytime first spiked on March 15amp160and have maintained an upward trajectory amp160On March 21 viewing hit 41 million HUTs closing in on the nearly 43 million that watched Januaryamp8217s Super Bowl Ampersand reported amp160And where TV viewing typically grows through the week peaking Sundays and then restarting the cycle Mondays since March 9 viewing levels have been steadily risingamp160amp8220As more and more people are following physical distancing guidelines they are alsoamp160watching more TV than everamp8221 the report notedWith time to catch up on their mustwatch lists Americans are using more videoondemand VOD than usual amp160VOD sessions jumped between 15 percent and 25 percent every day last week and significantly increased between 5 pm and midnight according to Ampersandamp8217s analysis of Canoe dataamp160 A session is when an ondemand title is startedViewers are also dramatically increasing their streaming usage amp160During the week of March 16 consumers watched more than 156 billion minutes of streaming video up from 115 billion the week of February 24 and more than double the comparable week the year prior Nielsen reportedWith the pandemic showing no signs of abating viewers will likely settle in and continue turning on their TVs for the latest information or muchneeded distractionsDon39t stop now Stay in the know on viewership trends with more fromamp160Ampersandamp160Click 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 ofamp160MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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What Tops Viewers’ Burgeoning Watch Lists Right Now?

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Alli Romano

"About That" with Carl Mayer: Corinne Casagrande (Episode 8: Consumer Spending) - By Carl Mayer

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What Tops Viewers’ Burgeoning Watch Lists Right Now?

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Alli Romano

"About That" with Carl Mayer: Corinne Casagrande (Episode 8: Consumer Spending) - By Carl Mayer

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