On Mon 23 March 2020, the NZ Government advised we would be moving to Level 3 alert status. They also gave two days advance notice that NZ would be moving to Level 4 at 2359 on Wed 25 March (essentially meaning that the entire country would be on lock down).
The following reflects the changes in media consumption in the week starting Sunday 22 March 2020. The changes mirror what has been seen overseas – an increase in audience for channels that provide timely news updates and entertainment (TV, all digital channels, print and radio).
TV – A constant in times of distress
- This week marked a watershed where PUTs started to escalate as people retreated to their homes
- 25-54 PUTs were up 11.9% last week compared to the average of the past 4 weeks
- While PUTs were up across the whole day, growth was particularly evident around the news and information zones
- morning news is up 14.5%
- 6pm news zone up 28.3%
- 7pm current affairs slot is up 16.1%
- All key commercial demographics are seeing significant growth, even youth audiences. And there has been spectacular growth in Auckland (+27.4%)
Premium OLV – Free streaming options
- TVNZ OD and Three Now are both seeing increases in streams as people look for content to occupy themselves whilst in lockdown
- In just one week (w/c 15 Mar to w/c 22 Mar) TVNZ saw reach increase by 13.7% and streams increase to just under 6.2m (+23.9% on week prior)
The Social Channels – Connect and communicate
- Usage increased across all platforms (including Tik Tok 🙂 )
- Facebook are reporting that NZ is showing the same patterns as seen globally but NZ data still TBC
News Sites – Staying informed at your fingertips
- The two main sites, Stuff and NZ Herald, are both huge seeing spikes in usage (especially when they been live streaming the Government and MOH press conferences)
- NZH average daily UBs are up 35%; Business and News up significantly
- For 1News, UBs are up 18% Sun 22 Mar to Sun 29 Mar and page views are also showing an increase up 8% from 1.288m to 1.394m over the same time period
Magazines – Settle in and escape
- Bauer advised that they saw strong performances for magazine sales in the last week across supermarkets, bookstores and Paper Plus
- Sales were up across the portfolio last week including N&S sales up 85% issue on issue, AWW is up 10%, WD & NZWW are stable, FQ is up 9% and The Listener is up 7%
Radio / Podcasts – Immediate news
- iHeart Radio provided information that confirms peaks in listenership (reach and listening hours)
- The current radio survey was approximately 90% completed when lockdown occurred and GfK are working on a survey solution using the data they have to hand
At this early stage, it is the outdoor and cinema suppliers that are quickly losing audience. The lockdown essentially restricts car travel to your local area so those high profile billboards with CBD placements won’t be seeing many DTVs. Buses are still running and there seem to be plenty of people out walking so perhaps these could be an alternative. Cinema is potentially the most affected medium as no public gatherings means no cinema screenings. Additionally the content pipeline has been turned off with the Hollywood blockbusters moving release dates.
This is a reflection of the immediate change in New Zealand’s status – however our expectation is that audience growth will continue in Week 2 and then plateau. It will be interesting to see how our media suppliers work to retain the audience as the lockdown progresses. From a client pov, there is opportunity in the market to take advantage of the increases in audience usage and to support our media partners in this time of uncertainty.
