U.S. TV Viewing Is Increasing During Coronavirus Pandemic

Author: Andy Sullivan. Source: Comscore

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, millions of Americans are staying home and turning to their televisions as a core source of news, information and entertainment.

In an analysis of preliminary live viewing data from Comscore’s footprint of more than 60 million TVs nationwide, we identified several trends to watch:

1. Viewing of cable news networks increased 73% vs. the same week in 2019 (comparing March 16-20 to the same week in 2019). “Daytime” and “Early Fringe” (4:00 to 7:30 p.m.) viewing appear to be driving this increase, with 102% and nearly 82% increases vs. the same week in 2019, respectively.

2. Financial news networks, in particular, saw a significant viewing bump. Looking at two of the highest rated financial news networks in aggregate, we see huge increases across dayparts. Specifically, “Early Fringe” had nearly 160% increase vs. the same week in 2019 and “Daytime” had a nearly 140% increase.

3. Viewing of the big four broadcast networks has increased nearly 19% vs. the same week in 2019 (comparing March 16-20 to the same week in 2019) (includes ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox). Once again, “Daytime” and “Early Fringe” viewing appear to be driving this trend with 31% and 35% increases vs. the same week in 2019, respectively.

4. Daytime viewing of children’s programming networks has increased nearly 31% (comparing March 16-20 to the same week in 2019)

As consumption shifts, we’ll continue to monitor TV viewing trends and will provide frequent updates on any insights of note on this data hub.