It’s no surprise to learn that U.S. families have been watching television together more frequently since the coronavirus lockdown began in March. However, the fact that they’re watching more music videos together is perhaps more unexpected.
U.S. CTV viewing — which essentially shows that people are watching at home in their living rooms, not just on handheld devices — was up 21% between the beginning of March and the beginning of April, according to a Vevo rolling average, showing increases well above general CTV growth. More specifically, the family-viewing genre is up more than 45%, and soundtracks and scores are also up 28%, and (even more unusually for the month of March) holiday music is up 31%.
The Family Viewing Genre includes children’s music and soundtracks, Christian music, holiday music and similar fare.
Of the trend, Kevin McGurn, Vevo’s president of sales and distribution, said, “Family-friendly video content has always been integral part of Vevo’s catalogue. We are fortunate to have TV content ratings that place 80% of our videos as TV-14 or better. With families co-viewing from home now more than ever, we are really pleased to see videos from the world’s biggest stars be a source of comfort, creativity and community during this time.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new appreciation for streaming platforms while families are “together at home.” Variety recently reported that the streaming competition depends on strong children’s content, and during this time of self-isolation, the streamers have become a conduit to the outside and a way to stay connected to a world that is full of diversity — and that has applied to the music programming they’re watching as well.