Five years on: the impact of Covid on the broadcast industry

Five years since Covid-19 first arrived, TVBEurope hears from leading figures from across the media and entertainment industry to find out what has changed in the intervening period

By Matthew Corrigan

Published: March 24, 2025 Updated: March 25, 2025

Five years since Covid-19 first arrived, TVBEurope hears from leading figures from across the media and entertainment industry to find out what has changed in the intervening period

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Five years ago this week, everything stopped. Countries across the globe quickly enacted plans to effectively close their doors in an attempt to defend against an advancing threat Covid-19. For weeks, the news had carried stories of a new and unknown virus tracking around the world. There was a real Eve of the War feeling abroad. We all knew it was coming, but nobody could possibly grasp the extent of the carnage it would bring.

March 23rd 2020 was unseasonably warm in the UK. That evening, as the Prime Minister began to address the nation, there was a palpable air of disbelief among the populace. Moments later, reality dawned. The first stay-at-home order was announced and the country was in lockdown.

What followed brought many changes: we all adapted to new ways of working, socialising, and living. The media and entertainment business was thrown into turmoil. Thankfully, the pandemic is now receding into the memory. But as we reach the fifth anniversary of our first Covid lockdown, TVBEurope has asked leading figures from throughout the industry to share their thoughts, answering a single question in their own words.

How has the media and entertainment industry changed since the Covid-19 crisis?

Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo Today I think most industry insiders will reflect on the macro-economic challenges over the past few years which have impacted the industry a lot. Instead, I would like to reflect on how the average consumer has changed. Prior to Covid, streaming premium video was still largely an early adopter market. Now, just a few years later, streaming has penetrated almost all consumer segments and countries. Had it not been for Covid and consumers, desperate for entertainment, quickly embracing new technologies and user experiences the development would likely have been three to four years slower. We've seen record growth of mass market adoption of any technology, with Covid playing a significant role.

Andr Rosado, head of product, AgileTV The crisis reshaped the media and entertainment industry, accelerating shifts that were already in motion, while introducing new consumption patterns and business models, especially on the Ad-supported paradigm. As audiences turned to digital platforms in record numbers, companies had to rethink how content was produced, distributed and monetised. The result? A transformed landscape where flexibility, efficiency and diversification became the keys to success.

With lockdowns keeping people at home, streaming services saw explosive growth, solidifying on-demand consumption as the new norm. Binge-watching soared and the so-called streaming wars intensified as platforms fought for audience attention. Yet, live sports remained a major draw, with tech giants like Amazon and Apple investing heavily in sports rights to secure their place in the competitive streaming market.

Cost pressures pushed telco and media companies to optimise operations. Cloud-based workflows and automation became essential for content production and delivery, generating cost savings and enabling faster deployments, changes that are now permanent fixtures in the industry. Broadcasters and OTT providers embraced these tools to streamline everything from video editing to distribution, ensuring scalability and resilience in an increasingly competitive landscape.

ITV's Emmerdale enacted social distancing protocols As subscription fatigue set in, streaming platforms leaned into ad-supported tiers. Services like Netflix and Disney+ introduced lower-cost, ad-based options to attract price-sensitive audiences while diversifying revenue streams. This shift reflects a broader industry trend: finding new ways to monetise content without alienating consumers.

The proliferation of OTT platforms led to content fragmentation, pushing consumers to juggle multiple subscriptions and UI experiences. Now, the industry is shifting towards re-bundling, where partnerships and content aggregation efforts on the telcos and ISPs services mimic traditional cable, offering convenience without sacrificing choice. Telcos are experimenting with bundled packages that combine streaming services, mobile plans and even consumer utilities services

Social media platforms like TikTok thrived during the pandemic, driving a surge in short-form video consumption. Traditional media players adapted, producing snackable content to engage audiences in this fast-paced digital landscape. Even legacy broadcasters are now leveraging vertical video and AI-driven recommendations to stay relevant.

The pandemic didn't just disrupt the media. It accelerated its evolution. Streaming dominance, ad-supported models, cloud-driven efficiency and shifting content formats are shaping a future where adaptability is key.

Ben Grafchik, vice president of business development at BitFire The Covid-19 crisis forced instant change for broadcasters. Suddenly, the standard playbook - pack a truck full of gear, roll into a venue, and throw 30 people at the problem - wasn't an option. The industry had to adapt fast, and that meant embracing remote production in ways that had always been talked about but rarely implemented at scale.

At BitFire, we understood that this shift was more than a temporary workaround; it was the next step in the evolution of live production. Our IP-based transmission network helped broad

LINK:	https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/five-years-on-the-impact-of-covid-o...
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