GroupM: Online TV and video consumption surges amid COVID-19 in Hong Kong

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s lives, their spending habits, and consumption patterns. GroupM Hong Kong conducted a survey about the Hong Kong people’s media consumption habits and expectations towards brands. 

The company interviewed 800 consumers aged between 16 and 64 in late April. According to the survey, online TV and video consumption, as well as gaming, had surged abruptly during social distancing, and future usage is expected to be sustained.

As Hong Kong people were advised to perform social distancing by the government, they spent more time at home or indoors, leading to the increased time on media consumption. Apart from watching free TV, nearly 70% had also consumed online videos from video-sharing platforms such as YouTube and Youku, while 49% had played PC games and 60% had played mobile games.

When it comes to local or overseas online TV content providers, nearly 60% of audiences watched local TV content online while overseas TV content, such as Netflix, appealed to nearly a third of respondents. Meanwhile, respondents also said they were interested in continuing to watch both online (69%) and local (81%) TV content after the pandemic. 

As for gaming, about 50% of respondents said they would consume even more TV or video content in the coming three months, while fervour for games would be further boosted among nearly half of the gamers.

The survey also questioned respondents’ preference on news outlets – 72% said they had relied heavily on local TV broadcasters and 58% had resorted to social media platforms for updated news. However, there was a wider gap of perceived trustworthiness towards the news between local TV and social media platforms, in which local TV was trusted by half of the audiences while social media platforms were found reliable by only a third.

Different generations had various views on trustworthiness as well. Gen Z and Gen Y had shown a higher trust in news from social media platforms whereas the mature segments of Gen X and the Baby Boomers had more faith in news from local TV broadcasters.

Entertainment is also another part of Hongkongers’ daily lives. Hong Kong consumers have been changing the way they have consumed entertainment in recent months. 

Turning to live-streaming activities has become a new norm among the respondents (69%), especially among the younger generations of Gen Z (75%) and Gen Y (81%). The top three popular online content consumed were music concerts (48%), conference and talk (40%), and virtual learning classes (36%).

Cantopop singers such as Sam Hui and Aaron Kwok launched their first ever live-streaming music concerts, and each successfully attracted more than two million online viewers globally.

Last, but not least, consumers were also expecting brands to react responsibly amid the pandemic. For example, 74% of respondents said they had found it essential for brands to provide more hygienic services in-store, such as providing free hand sanitisers and masks as well as a temperature measurement to ensure a safe shopping environment.

Consumers were also counting on brands to offer flexible payment terms (71%) or to prolong the subscription or membership period (57%) so they could continue enjoying the services or bonuses.

“People will remember brands for their genuine acts during the health crisis, and it is the right time for brands to strengthen their bonding with customers. In this time of social distancing and immense anxiety, a lot of people, in fact, are expecting brands to come up with funny light-hearted videos or content for entertainment,” said Melanie Lo, CEO at GroupM Hong Kong.

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