ommaso79/iStock(NEW YORK) — It’s no secret that all the extra time we’re spending at home during the COVID-19 lockdown has us watching more TV. Now cable giant Comcast is here to tell us just how much more that is.
Compared to early March, we’re watching an average eight hours or more of TV per week. That’s a jump from approximately 57 hours of TV watching per week to an average 66 hours now. Put another way, it’s an extra workday’s worth of viewing.
Comcast suggests the additional TV time is a sign that the days are starting to blur together for us, as if we needed more confirmation. Another sign: the way we watch TV. Typically, says Comcast, we watch more TV on the weekends, which is also when we watch more on-demand content, streaming and movies. Now that distinction’s being blurred, with weekday viewing trends more closely resembling weekend habits.
We’re also staying up later, with late-night viewing between 11:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. up 40%. By comparison, viewing between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. is down, by a more modest 6%, perhaps because we’re sleeping in more.
As for what we’re watching? No surprise that we’re consuming more news as we keep abreast of the latest coronavirus info. The surprise is just how much more: Comcast says it’s a whopping 64% increase, reaching its peak the week of March 30.
Overall, though, dramas are our go-to type of viewing, followed by news, comedy, and then reality TV and action-adventure, the latter two in equal measures. At least, until live sports make a return.
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