We’ve all been there; sat at home, bored, wondering if life will ever return to normal again. After a year of having most of our usual leisure and entertainment stripped away from us, it’s no wonder many of us turned to the internet to find something to do during these times.
At the beginning of the first national lockdown in March 2020, social media became flooded with a number of new internet trends that people could attempt from the safety of their own homes. Attempting to make banana bread, posting about the latest Joe Wicks virtual PE class and organising family zoom quizzes became a way of making people feel together, even when we had to stay apart. One thing that’s coincided with our increased usage of the internet for leisure activities is the increase in people who now choose to stream videos onto the big screen.
This is something I found myself doing more frequently as lockdown went on. As a self-confessed mobile phone addict, I found that streaming YouTube videos onto my television screen was a great alternative to watching it on my phone directly as it meant I was free to use other apps and check notifications without having to disrupt or pause the video.
So why did we start watching YouTube on our Televisions?
The answer is fairly straightforward. Spending more time at home meant that many of us had increased access to a TV and combined with schools being off and many of the working population being on furlough, our usage increased. In fact, in the US, the number of people watching YouTube videos over 30 minutes long on their televisions increased by more than 90% in a 12 month period.
Some of the more popular video choices included sports videos (65% increase) and videos related to well being (up by 180%). Both of these reflect our desire to retain some form of normality in our lives throughout this period. With no live sports, we watched recordings. With no gyms and reduced access to mental health services, we took matters into our own hands and used YouTube as a resource for self-improvement.
The global stats show that this new way of watching YouTube videos may be here to stay and it is something marketers should bear in mind when producing online content for their brands.
About the Author
Natasha Carlyle is a Marketing Intern at The Future of Marketing and current Business Management student at the Open University.
Having completed a degree in Business Economics at Queen’s University Belfast in 2016, Natasha spent a number of years working abroad in various PR and Event Management Roles before deciding to return home and pursue a career in Marketing.
The Future of Marketing is developed by BlueSky Video Marketing