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The rise of streaming services is an excellent indicator of how much the pandemic has changed our lives and Our Streaming Habits.
Everything became boring as we had nothing to do except stare at the walls by staying locked in our homes. Thanks to streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, we were able to watch our favorite movies and TV shows without ever having to leave our homes.
Due to this, Pandemic has changed our streaming habits up to a large extent. Was this change a positive one or a negative one?
Overview on Our Streaming Habits
- Recent Streaming Trends
- YouTube
- Over-The-Top Media Platforms (OTT Platforms)
- Netflix
- Hulu
- Amazon Prime
- Just One More Episode!
- Reason Behind Binge Streaming
Recent Streaming Trends
With the rise of COVID-19, many streaming trends evolved just like that. In the past, people would go to cinemas and enjoy their favorite movies. However, due to the pandemic, there was a drastic change.
Streaming sites were the hottest topic at this time. Using these sites, people could enjoy top-notch entertainment from the comfort of their homes.
Today, we will talk about some of these recent trends in streaming that evolved during the pandemic. With further ado, let’s take a look at the first trend.
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Facebook
Facebook has been around for a long time, and it has been one of the most used social websites since its launch in 2004. People worldwide have joined it to reach out to their loved ones at the other end of the world.
However, the pandemic was something that fuelled the use of this social platform. The recorded growth, according to Statista, increased up to 8.7%, which is remarkable.
With the launch of the Facebook Watch, everyone flocked towards Facebook. According to Forbes, many of the infamous shows were telecasted on Facebook watch, including; Huda Boss, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and even live streaming of Major League Baseball matches.
But there was another competitor in the line!
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YouTube
Just when we thought YouTube was getting behind other streaming sites, it was already there to prove us wrong. According to Statista, in a survey, 39.4% of people alone in the USA responded to using YouTube more frequently during COVID.
Most of the results showed that people used YouTube for listening to calming and soothing sounds during the crisis. Other people used YouTube to stream their favorite TV shows, but other platforms were also in action. We are going to discuss them in the next segment.
Over-The-Top Media Platforms (OTT Platforms)- Our Streaming Habits
OTT services offer the convenience of a digital media player that you can use on the website or with your TV, set-top box, or mobile device. They allow you to watch your favorite shows or movies, anywhere, anytime.
With the growth of streaming services, we can expect the rise of the OTT market to continue. Netflix is the leader in the OTT market, and its calculated revenue was 25 billion US dollars in 2020.
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Netflix
Netflix has already been way too popular among teens and even young adults. Apart from teens and adults, older adults have become avid fans of this streaming platform during the pandemic. According to the BBC, 16 million new signups are recorded on Netflix, all thanks to the lockdown. Click here to learn more about their report on the matter.
The most-watched Netflix series were Squid Game, Sweet Tooth, and You. It also has various geological restrictions on its content, which is annoying if you live in different regions. Using a VPN to change your virtual whereabouts lets you get around these limitations quite easily, though.
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Hulu
According to Statista, the use of Hulu increased up to 43.8 million paid subscribers in 2021. People streamed their favorite Disney shows and other series. Not only this, but Hulu started live news streaming on their platform, and users actually loved this feature!
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Amazon Prime
With the pandemic on the rise, Amazon Prime became one of the most used hubs for entertainment. Amazon Prime gathered a massive crowd with over 213 million users in just a month.
Amazon Prime Video was already a significant player in online streaming in the US when the pandemic hit. People had enough time to binge-watch series the whole day, so they went to Amazon Prime as well. It did offer some classics as well as some new exciting content. You can also use Amazon firestick to stream your favorite shows on TV. Plus, you can jailbreak your Firestick to get even more content by accessing third-party streaming apps.
Just One More Episode!
Have you been a victim of just one more episode? We all have been! Honestly, there is no such syndrome in real life. But we do suffer from this situation a lot!
We assure ourselves that we are done with this season, yet we get off with another episode. This way, we tend to spend like 4 to 6 hours on a streaming site. We are spitting the facts here!
Reason Behind Binge Streaming
This Binge Streaming can be attributed to so many things. Firstly people were looking for ways of entertainment in their homes due to not being able to go outside. Other users were trying to acquire new skills using YouTube.
The majority of the users were trying to learn new skills to start their business from home at this crucial time. At the same time, others were streaming series just to feel less lonely. As mentioned in this report, the watch time for OTT platforms increased to 142.5 billion minutes, from 81.7 billion during the pandemic.
Final Words
To sum it up, the pandemic has changed the whole streaming game up. Different streaming sites had a different impact. Some of them were useful, while some of them were for entertainment purposes. Overall, we are thankful to these streaming websites for making us feel entertained even at home.
