TV viewership rose during Covid-19 lockdown in 2020
Average viewing hours of both digital and terrestrial television during the second quarter of 2020 were 5.37 per cent higher compared to the same period in 2019, according to a recent report published by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).
Digital TV alone saw a 6.94 per cent surge in viewership year on year during the second quarter.
“The surge in TV viewing both on digital and terrestrial networks during the second quarter coincided with the period when the Covid-19 outbreak had been escalating in Thailand and the government had announced lockdown measures nationwide,” said the report.
“The lockdown also had resulted in many people working from home, which consequentially increased the average TV viewing time.”
Compared to 2019, average TV viewing hours in 2020 also increased across all quarters but at a lower rate than in the second quarter. The first quarter of 2020 saw a 1.81 per cent increase year on year, the third quarter saw a 1.8 per cent increase and the fourth quarter saw a 2.68 per cent increase.
The report also revealed that viewers in Bangkok and its perimeter areas spent 5 hours and 25 minutes per day on average watching TV throughout 2020, while viewers upcountry watched TV for 3 hours and 57 minutes per day on average. April was the month with the highest average viewing hours across the nation in 2020 at 4.26 hours per day.
In the second quarter of 2020, TV viewership in Bangkok and its perimeter areas saw a 10 per cent increase in hours compared to the previous year (10.13 per cent increase for all networks, and 10.51 per cent increase for digital TV). Viewers upcountry, however, have increased viewing hours during the same period at 4.33 per cent for all networks and 5.34 per cent for digital TV.