Published on April 14th, 2020 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

Billboard & Nielsen Music/MRC Data Release New Study on Pandemic’s Impact on Entertainment Industry

Billboard and Nielsen Music/MRC Data have teamed up to create “COVID-19: Tracking the impact on the Entertainment Landscape,” a new study focused on monitoring consumer behaviors and attitudes as they relate to the entertainment industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Questions answered

How are consumers feeling right now? Are they willing to pay for a livestream of a concert from home? What do they want to see artists or brands doing? Which subscription services will they be willing to pay for? The results are fascinating, and the team anticipates the trends they discover over time will be even more so.

COVID-19 Tracking the Impact on the Entertainment Landscape

Findings will help identify implications for live events and potential opportunities for brands in the live event space, understand consumers’ short and long term feelings, and provide recommendations of how brands and artists can best connect with consumers at this time.

In compiling its findings, the group surveyed a 945-person sample representative of the U.S. population, with data being collected from March 25 through March 29.

The study looked at the sample group’s activity for the prior two-week period, which would date it back to approximately March 12, when all U.S. professional sports leagues announced they were suspending their seasons — kickstarting the U.S. economy shutdown.

Click here for Billboard’s report coverage:

New Data Shows How Entertainment Consumption Is Changing

Consumers Willing to Pay More for Streaming During Pandemic, Nielsen Music/MRC Data Finds

People are spending 60% more time with music and other forms of remotely accessed entertainment.
Slightly over one-third of the U.S. population is now working from home, a rate that is roughly double what it was before the pandemic.
60% of the U.S. population are engaging with more entertainment now that so many people are working from home.
Consumers are leaning into entertainment and music for solace and distraction. Almost one-quarter of the population has added new subscription services, and 79% of that group reports that they intend to keep those services now that they’ve experienced them.
24% of those surveyed added at least one new subscription service in the last few weeks: 81% added video, 38% added music and 14% added games. Of those adding a subscription, households with children were the demo most likely to do so.
Looking specifically at music, 87% say they are listening to what they would normally listen to; while 55%add they are opting for older music they used to listen to as people seek out entertainment they are familiar with.
In accessing music, 78% cited their smartphones as their main source, but the survey notes that other devices are coming into play, with 46% using their laptop to listen to music; 33% using smart speakers; 30% using desktop computers; 26% through tablets; and 35% through smart TVs.
In a surprising statistic, only 84% of those surveyed want a return to normalcy after experiencing life during the pandemic.

*Credit Nielsen Music/MRC Data

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Tags: Billboard, covid-19, entertainment, impact, Music, Nielsen Music/MRC Data

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.