TV Ratings Are Through the Roof During the Coronavirus Lockdown — No Thanks to GenZ

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Not surprisingly, viewership of video content of all kinds — streaming and linear TV, daytime and primetime, news and entertainment — is enjoying a surge unlike it's seen in years with everyone being shut-ins and all. Just as predictably, young consumers are opting to pass the time with online video programming instead of traditional TV.

And when they're not on social media or watching YouTube they are, of course, playing video games.

According to a survey of more than 1,700 teenagers from Brainly, social distancing and self quarantining have Generation Z flocking to digital content channels, with 60% of respondents consuming more video content now than before the pandemic, most of it on YouTube (40%), followed by Netflix and Hulu (24%).

When it comes to social media use during the coronavirus crisis, GenZ continues to turn mostly to Instagram (59%) to stay entertained and informed and to keep up with friends, followed by Snapchat (50%). Facebook lags far behind, commanding the attention of just 13% of teens.

Meanwhile, video games — which even before the pandemic were poised to become a $90 billion global market this year, with an estimated 2.5 billion gamers worldwide  — are also experiencing a bump in popularity during the lockdown, with 64% of teens gaming and 42% doing so for more than 2 hours per day. Meantime, 40% of those surveyed said they're spending all this time at home playing video games with their friends — remotely, naturally.

No wonder half of students are ditching their online classroom obligations, as the Times reports.

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