Break from the Grind September 8, 2020

TV Viewership Reaches New Heights in Q2 2020

There was an increase of over 200 million hours compared to the same time last year.

Reported by

Research from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, revealed that TV viewership remained high in the second quarter as consumers spent more time indoors with their televisions and connected devices.

Study households spent 15 minutes more time per day viewing TV in Q2 2020 versus Q2 2019, consuming 8.5 billion hours of TV viewing—an increase of over 200 million hours compared to the same time last year, according to RAPID TV News. That equates to more than 17 hours of additional viewing per household versus Q2 2019.

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The TV Viewership Report also revealed diversity in viewing habits for consumers in Q2. An increased number of new ways to discover content means consumers continue to watch a diverse set of channels. Households watched an average of 30 different networks in Q2 2020. Four-fifths of households in the report watched video-on-demand (VOD), a 15% increase in daily time spent compared to the same time last year.

Cable TV viewing made up 68% of viewing share in Q2 2020, up one percentage point over last year. Broadcast share also saw a slight uptick compared with 2019, while premium network share fell two percentage points.

According to RAPID TV News, John Brauer, executive director of data, insights and innovation at Effectv, says TV viewership has been on the rise for the past eight quarters.