As markets are opening up, PBS viewing levels are returning to the seasonal averages

Viewing habits are shifting across platforms: returning to normal for broadcast while streaming is garnering new records 

PBS Broadcast

• There was +19% growth in broadcast households compared to the 6 weeks before the outbreak¹
• However, PBS broadcast returned content driven behavior by week of May 4th ²

PBS Digital

• In the first thee weeks, streaming increased an average +39% compared to the 6 weeks prior³
• Streaming remains high at over 5.5 million streams per week³

PBS Passport - March 2020 Data

• Additional +13% streams compared to February ⁴
• Record month for streaming at nearly 4.6MM streams⁴
  
• Record month for activations, +64% increase from February and 47% more than March 2019⁵

PBS KIDS

• Kids 2-8 weekday ratings increased by +9% in the first few weeks of COVID but dropped to seasonal average by April⁶
• Kids streaming increased by +29% and +42% for average weekly game play⁷
• Downloads of the Games app have increased 42%⁷

PBS Learning Media

• Learning Media has shown no signs of slowing with site engagement up +24%, and +18% in pages/sessions ³
• The site has garnered over +3.7MM users in April³
• The Parents site has increased +21.1% year-over-year with a +43.2% increase in session duration³

PBS Development / Fundraising

• eMarketer provided a podcast of what consumers expect from brands during the Coronavirus. Here is a link to the podcast
• 82% of B2B buyers are concerned about an Covid-induced recession¹²
• Kantar warns that a six-month absence from TV will result in an estimated 39% reduction in total brand communications¹¹
• MediaRadar details which industries/organizations are still spending in the marketplace which can be downloaded here

Industry Research

•  Overall, Mar 16 - May 3 delivered +21% more total TV usage than the year prior⁸
  • However, total TV usage has been declining 1-3% each week since Mar 30⁸

• While following a similar pattern overall, streaming has been more volatile, dropping between 3-9% week to week ⁹

• With less commuting time, radio listening declining by at least -12 during the initial Covid shutdown, but has since reached 82% of prior listening levels¹⁰

Sources

1. Nielsen NPower Primetime All PBS Stations 3/16-4/5/20 vs. 3/18-4/7/19 Households
2. Nielsen NPower Primetime Primary 3/16-5/11/20 
3. Google Analytics PBS owned platforms 3/16-4/5/20 vs. 3/18-4/7/19, 5/4-5/11/20
4. Google Analytics PBS owned platforms 3/16-4/5/20 vs. 3/18-4/7/19, MVOD
5. Google Analytics PBS owned platforms 3/1-3/31/20 vs. 2/1-2/28/20, & 3/31/19, Activation
6. NPOWER L+7, 3/16/20-5/10/2020, All PBS Stations, M-F 6AMM-6P, K2-17, A25-54 HOH/Spouse/Partner w/Child
7. Google Analytics March ‘19 – May ‘19, February ‘20 – May ‘20; AppFigures March ‘19 – May ’19, February ‘20 – May ‘20
8. Nielsen National TV Panel, Total Television Use is anytime spent with Live, Time-Shifted TV and any TV Connected Device
9. Nielsen, Custom Streaming Meter Report, Sum of Weekly Streaming Minutes (Weighted), P2+, Total Day
10. Nielsen PPM Overnights / PPM Market Summary / M-SU 6a-12M / Index of Average Daily un-weighted preliminary QHRs, P6+
11. Cynopsis 3/26/20
12. https://content-na1.emarketer.com/how-b2b-buyer-behavior-has-changed-in-light-of-covid-19-and-what-b2b-marketers-and-sellers-can-do-now