A recent study showed that 21% of the people surveyed would rather choose Netflix over having access to any outside communication. The study, conducted by ExpressVPN in collaboration with Lucid, surveyed Americans in lockdown on their streaming habits and preferences.
Of those surveyed, 40% reported they signed up for a new streaming service during lockdown. Netflix was the most popular streamer, with 54% of respondents finding themselves signing up for the original VOD service. Hulu came in second at 44%, followed by Disney+ (35%), Amazon Prime Video (31%), and YouTube TV (27%).
The global pandemic has caused most of the world to shutter their doors and windows and stay inside for an unprecedented amount of time at home. This has obviously led to an increase in data usage and streaming views, so much that big streamers like Disney+ and Netflix lowered their default video quality in Europe to relieve stress on the infrastructure.
People are staying sane under quarantine by turning to streaming. This same study shows 1 in 4 people say their mental health would be affected negatively if they did not have Netflix during lockdown. And almost 1 in 5 say not being able to watch Netflix would negatively impact their relationship with their significant other.
Being able to stream entertainment ranks as people’s most important digital service during lockdown, with 33% of people saying they’d rather have access to a streaming service like Netflix than any other digital capabilities, while 21% ranked social media as the most important. Online shopping, games, and fitness apps fell in the ranks of least important.
What’s your number one digital service during quarantine? Let us know in the comments.
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