Skip to content
iQ 360
An integrated communications agency
360
  • Home
  • Our Work
  • Capabilities
  • About
  • Join Us
  • Blog
  • Contact
We build + protect reputations

New Media Consumption Habits Invite Brands to Step Up

07.07.21 | by iQ Staff
  • Share via
Communications, PR
  • Share via

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed our lives and forced us to change almost every part of our daily routines, including our media consumption habits. The lockdowns, the hunger for information and entertainment and the transition to remote work has affected our relationships with newspapers, radio, television and streaming services.

Communications professionals would be wise to track these trends in media consumption as they consider the best content, formats and platforms to reach and engage their audiences. 

 

Newspapers

Newspapers across the country were already in a state of decline when the pandemic hit and made things even harder for publishers and distributors of newsprint. The largest ten weekday newspapers in the U.S. experienced an average drop in circulation of 20% between Q1 2020 and Q3 2020, according to the Alliance for Audited Media.

But while subscriptions and sales of print editions of newspapers faltered, digital subscriptions skyrocketed. The New York Times reported that it added 2.3 million digital-only subscriptions in 2020, setting a record for the news organization. The Washington Post experienced a 50% year-over-year growth in digital subscriptions in 2020, ending the year with close to 3 million digital subscribers.

This trend is likely to continue, with readers digesting newspaper content on laptops, tablets and smartphones. Also, the need to serve readers on digital and mobile devices can influence story and ad treatment, placement and length or size; require more graphics and images, including videos; and affect other aspects of how information is communicated.

 

“The lockdowns, the hunger for information and entertainment, and the transition to remote work has affected our relationships with newspapers, radio, television and streaming services.”

 

Radio

According to a pre-COVID study, over half of daily radio listeners tune in only while driving. It’s no surprise then that when lockdowns began, listenership dropped dramatically – by approximately 28% – as people worked from home.

As more restrictions are lifted, and many workers return to offices, listenership has largely returned to pre-pandemic levels. Nielsen reported that as of October 2020, the weekly reach of radio was 97% of what it was in March 2020.

Radio offers an important platform that relies on the human ear. So tailor your approach to fit the needs of radio and determine, for example, whether a station’s format favors quick sound bites or might be open to a longer interview. Be sure to pay close attention to how you describe your company’s position, product or service so that it can be quickly and clearly understood by a listener.

 

Traditional TV

In March 2020, TV viewership spiked as stay-at-home restrictions began to be implemented across the country. Since then, viewership of traditional television programming has begun to taper off even though the demand for news and entertainment has grown exponentially.

News remains vital in a 24/7 world and your company’s major announcements can still find a home on a wide range of TV news and information programs. Entertainment programs that cater to specific interests and niche audiences also offer important opportunities for companies to promote their brands.

 

Streaming Services

Compared to other mediums, streaming video and audio services saw the greatest amount of growth during the pandemic with companies like Netflix and Spotify seeing marked subscription increases.

Other data shows the importance of streaming services in media consumption:

  • In Q2 2020, the cumulative weekly time spent watching streaming video was 42.5 billion minutes, an increase of nearly 75% from the 81.7 billion minutes in Q2 2019.
  • During the pandemic, nearly one quarter of U.S. consumers subscribed to at least one new paid streaming video service.
  • Streaming audio consumption increased by 39% between May 2020 and January 2021.

With this spectacular rise in streaming services, communications professionals have to think strategically and creatively about how to work with producers of content that might appear on these platforms. For instance, product placements are often seen in some popular entertainment programs on streaming services.

Of special note, consumers are more comfortable consuming all forms of content on their mobile devices. According to Nielsen, people are spending almost one-third more time on their smartphones and tablets, continuing a pre-pandemic shift to media consumption on mobile devices. In 2019, Nielsen found that consumers spent almost four hours viewing media on their mobile devices compared to just two-and-a-half hours in 2018.

 

Conclusion

The pandemic has radically changed our lives and our media consumption. Overall, audiences have adopted new habits that are likely here to stay, with an increased demand for news and entertainment. This presents new opportunities for brands that have survived or opened during the pandemic. Communications professionals should keep these considerations in mind as they think about informing and engaging target audiences with a range of versatile content that is, above all, mobile-device-friendly.

  • Share via

Top Picks for You


March 1, 2023

5 Ways to Give Your Corporate Anniversary Campaign Lasting Results →

September 21, 2022

Psychographic Segmentation Can Smarten up Your Marketing →

Post navigation

 An Infographic Q&A with the iQ Design Team
A Post-Pandemic Communications Industry 

Categories

C-Suite
Tactics & Tips
Visual Communication
iQ Insights

Must Reads

August 7, 2019

5 Tips For Creating Content That Matters →

September 4, 2019

6 Ways to Boost Your SEO Strategy →

May 29, 2019

Get Media Coverage For Your PR Event [INFOGRAPHIC] →

Stay in the know with our quarterly newsletter
Loading...
iQ 360

We believe in the power of communication to change the world

808.536.2729
Privacy Policy | ©2023 iQ 360 Inc. All rights reserved.
We are a certified minority- and woman-owned business.
iQ 360

We believe in the power of communication to change the world

808.536.2729
Privacy Policy
©2023 iQ 360 Inc. All rights reserved.

We are a certified minority- and woman-owned business.

Privacy Policy

Last updated on June 5, 2018.

 

This privacy policy explains our collection, use, disclosure, retention, and protection of personal information collected through our website, www.iq360inc.com (the “Website”).

 

  1. Information We Collect

We collect personally identifiable information about you, including your name, email address, and phone number, when you send an inquiry to us on the contact form on the Website.

 

  1. How We Use Your Information

We will use your information only to respond to you regarding the reason you contacted us. We will contact you by the means by that you have consented to us contacting you, as you indicate when you submit an inquiry to us via the Website.  We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization.  We do not send any promotional emails; however, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about changes to this privacy policy.

 

  1. Cookies

 

  1. Storage of Information

Personally identifiable information that you submit to us via the Website is processed and stored, if at all, in the United States.  We will not keep your personal data for longer than is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.  We determine the retention period based on the purpose for which the information was obtained, our legal obligations, and our technical and business requirements. 

 

  1. Your Access to and Control Over Information

You have the right to opt out of any future contacts from us at any time. You may do the following at any time by contacting us via info@iq360.inc.com or 808-536-2729:

  • See what data we have about you, if any.
  • Change/correct any data we have about you.
  • Have us delete any data we have about you.
  • Express any concern you have about our use of your data or if you feel that we are not abiding by this privacy policy.

  

  1. Security

We take precautions to protect your information. When you submit sensitive information via the Website, your information is protected both online and offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

 

  1. Updates to This Statement

This privacy policy may be subject to updates.  Any material future changes or additions to the processing of personal information as described in this privacy policy affecting you will be communicated to you through an appropriate channel.  For example, we may email you to let you know about updates to the privacy policy.

 

 

Subscribe

Emails collected through this form will be used for marketing and business updates. We are the sole owners of the information collected on this site. We only have access to information that you voluntarily give us. We will not sell or rent this information to anyone. You may opt out of any future contacts from us at any time by contacting us via the email address or phone number given on our website. Please see our privacy policy for full details.