OTTAWA — The latest analysis from the Media Technology Monitor (MTM) reveals significant jumps in technology use and changes in communication patterns during the Covid-19 pandemic.
MTM’s Sneak Peek Report is based on its spring 2020 online survey of 4,000 Canadians across all regions of the country, with interviews conducted from April 22 to May 4.
Use of digital communication platforms such as Facebook Messenger and Zoom has grown considerably this spring, with 62% of online Canadians having made an online video call during Covid-19, which is more than double what it was five years ago, according to MTM’s research. Young people, high income earners, the university educated and those with kids in the home are more likely to have made online video calls, the report says.
Canadians have also increasingly been watching both traditional and digital forms of entertainment. OTT streaming services have seen increases in both subscriptions and stacking of those services, the report says. Three-quarters of online Canadians currently subscribe to at least one OTT service, which is only a small increase since before the Covid-19 pandemic started. However, the number of Canadians who subscribe to three or more OTT services has grown by 58% during the pandemic, according to MTM.
Nearly all Canadians surveyed (97%) have been actively following news about the pandemic, and online Canadians have been turning to non-Internet sources to stay informed. According to the report, 74% of online Canadians have watched a Canadian news channel this spring, which is up from 59% who did so in the fall of 2019. Furthermore, 69% of online Canadians said they watched a local TV news show to stay informed during the pandemic, compared to 47% who said they watched local news in fall 2019.
In the absence of being able to watch live sports during the pandemic, half of sports fans surveyed said they have forgone any kind of sports-related entertainment to replace the loss. However, the other half of sports fans have turned to classic games (30%), sports clips and past games (21%), sports documentaries (16%), and watching e-sports (10%) as replacements, according to the report.
Just over one in six (17%) of online Canadians have used a social viewing feature such as Netflix Party to watch content with friends and family during the Covid-19 pandemic. Facebook and YouTube lead as the most popular options for remote social viewing with others during self-isolation at 36%, followed by Netflix Party at 31%, says the report. Young people are more than twice as likely to be using co-viewing apps as the average Canadian.
To access a free copy of the Sneak Peek Report, please visit the MTM website.
