Media consumption in the pandemic, surge of new users

With the outbreak of coronavirus, people are spending more time on screens while they are stuck at home. There is much new addition in social media users as well as other media platforms like online news, televisions, a rise in OTT platforms, and an increase in Youtube users. 

Since peoples have no other way of entertainment like theatres, shopping centers, malls, and so on, they are using social media to connect with people, following the trends, and taking up challenges. With the new adding in Instagram with ‘reels’, there has been an upsurge in users. Other than the public, there are many brands and companies are turning to social media for promoting their product, interacting with their customers, and trying to create a positive brand relationship by sharing their stories.

There is a shift from televisions to subscription-based-screening, especially among the young users on the platforms such as Netflix, Prime videos, Hotstar, Zee5, and so on, which has enabled the OTT platforms to make their mark with varieties of different content. OTT platforms have captured the market for the entertainment industry by providing shows according to the needs and want of the audience. Also, a very convenient approach where the audiences can watch their favorite show as per their time.

Even for the news media industry, many users switched to the online news feed for news, when it was difficult to get a newspaper in the lockdown. Among these, the local news sites gained profit as people were referring for news related to their home town.

Surprisingly, people are aware and worried about their time spent on any kind of media but they don’t have any other sources of entertainment and relying on what is available to them. Despite what type of content they are watching or reading the truth is every generation is depending on the media, which is beneficial for media companies and the right time for them to capture more audiences.