MEDIA TECHNOLOGY MONITOR SPRING DATA ANALYZES THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON CANADIAN MEDIA HABITS
MTM Spring 2020 special analysis reveals jumps in technology use and changes in communication patterns during the pandemic.
May 28, 2020 - The Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a research product of CBC/Radio-Canada, today announced the release of its latest Sneak Peek Report. With Canadians altering their daily activities during the time of a global pandemic, the report provides trend information on their technology use and communication patterns during COVID-19. It is based on 4,000 online Canadians.
Key findings from the COVID-19 Sneak Peek include the following:
- Digital communication platforms such as Facebook Messenger and Zoom have seen incredible growth this Spring. Just over 6 in 10 online Canadians have made an online video call during COVID-19, which is more than double what it was 5 years ago.
- With more time on their hands, Canadians are increasingly watching more traditional and digital forms of entertainment. Over-the-top (OTT) streaming services are seeing increases in both subscriptions and stacking of those services. Three quarters of online Canadians currently subscribe to at least one OTT service and the number of Canadians who subscribed to three or more OTT services has grown by 58% (12% pre-COVID vs. 19% during COVID).
- In the absence of watching live sports entertainment during COVID-19, half of sports fans have forgone any kind of replacement for this loss; however, the other half of sports fans have turned to classic games (30%), sports clips and past games (21%), and sports documentaries (16%) as replacements.
- Just over 1 in 6 online Canadians have used a social viewing feature like Netflix Party to watch content with friends and family during COVID-19. Facebook and YouTube lead as the most popular options for remote social viewing with others during quarantine at 36%, followed by Netflix Party at 31%.
- Online Canadians are turning to non-Internet sources to stay informed during COVID-19. This Spring, three quarters of online Canadians have watched a Canadian news channel, which is up from 53% pre–COVID-19.
To access a free version of the Sneak Peek Report, visit the MTM website. The MTM’s English- and French-language Adoption reports and the most recent Spring 2020 data set are also available to subscribers.
For more information, please contact us by email at mtm.otm@radio-canada.ca.
About The MTM
The Media Technology Monitor (MTM©) is Canada’s premier research product in the area of technology ownership and use. Based on 12,000 telephone interviews annually (including a cell phone–only sample), the MTM has spoken with over 140,000 Canadians (equally split between Anglophones and Francophones) over the past decade, making it the most accurate and comprehensive media technology tracking survey of its kind.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic and Chinese, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
