VOD Usage Jumped in March, Comscore Says

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People staying home to stop the spread of the coronavirus ordered 29.8% more video on demand titles during March compared to a year ago, according to Comscore.

In addition to viewers spending more time in front of the TV, Comscore noted that with theaters closed, many studios made more first-run feature films available for home viewing.

Looking at set-top-box based VOD, including free on demand, subscription VOD, transactional VOD and electronic sell-through, the average household access, purchased or rented 16 VOD titles in March, up from about 12 a year ago.

Related: Comscore Launches Faster Local TV Ratings Service

Subscription VOD showed the most growth, with transaction per household increasing 53%, with free on demand rising 21%.

The biggest gain came in the week of March 29.

Among categories, fitness showed the biggest gain--up 147%--as people thought about staying in shape. Life and home was up 64% and premium channel content was up 54%. Music was down 10%.

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.