As we approach the end of this 2020, the study of the impact that this unusual year has had on the Broadcast & Media industry is more interesting than ever, not only to confirm some early ideas about what remote working, confinement and the lack of leisure alternatives could cause, but also to begin to understand the new paradigms of an industry whose circumstances have led in many cases to a quantitative, cultural and technological leap forward.
This acceleration and shift in trends seems to have come to stay, so it is worth taking a look, first of all, at the evolution of content consumption in three of the areas that have experienced the most changes: linear television, video on demand and live streaming.
Linear television or the restoration of confidence
As could be expected, during the second and third quarter of 2020 there was a considerable increase in news monitoring on linear TV. According to LogIQ data, news consumption increased up to 80%, to which it is also necessary to add a change in the usual focus of interest from global to local relevance, as audiences sought to learn how their closest environment was evolving.
On the other hand, this renewed interest at present partly compensated for the general stoppage of live sports, a temporary drought that caused great losses for all concerned, as more than 50 disciplines, not including multi-sport events such as the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (now 2021) were postponed or cancelled. It is estimated, for example, that this Olympic postponement puts at risk more than $5 billion in television rights, or that FIFA, the international soccer regulatory body, has lost more than $14 billion to date.
Of course, these events have affected media revenues. On the one hand, advertisers are investing less in television (32% less on average according to Devoncroft data) compared to digital media, and on the other hand, the pay TV model is clearly in decline. AT&T recently reported close to 1 million cable TV cancellations in the second quarter of 2020 in the US alone, and it is now one of the business branches to be put up for sale.
Although with the return of many sports activities this income has increased slightly in recent months, most major groups already have a video-on-demand alternative, an immersion in an increasingly competitive landscape.
The increasingly populated VoD scene
If 2019 was the starting point for Streaming Wars, 2020 is a further step in the creation, expansion and consolidation of SVoD platforms, i.e. those that offer content to the user by means of a subscription, without forgetting the increasingly common presence of mixed models and those purely based on ads or AVoD, such as Pluto TV.
Netflix remains the reigning VOD platform with nearly 200 million subscribers, and has experienced unprecedented growth during the pandemic, gaining some 26 million subscribers in the first half of the year, when in 2019 it added less than 28 million throughout the year, although it failed to reach its growth estimate for the first time in the third quarter of 2020, which could be the first indication of a certain market saturation.
In second place is Amazon Prime Video, which to a large extent due to the unparalleled bundle of its Prime service has already accumulated more than 150 million subscribers worldwide, in addition to being the second in investment for its own productions with an estimated expenditure of 7.6 billion dollars, an investment that seems to be paying off judging by the success and recognition of features such as Fleabag or The Marveous Mrs. Maisel.
But without a doubt, the most outstanding case is that of Disney +, which debuted in the USA and Canada a year ago and which, despite still being in the process of international expansion, has already more than 70 million users. Due to this success, Disney recently declared that it will reorganize its structure to reinforce its direct-to-consumer strategy, a trend that was already apparent with the exclusive on-demand release of Mulan last September.
On the opposite side of the coin is the Quibi initiative, a short content platform initially designed for mobile consumption. Despite having great talent for its productions and an initial investment of more than 1 billion dollars, it seems that the combination of a dubious proposal content initially produced only for mobile consumption and with the functionality of being able to flip the image at any time as a star element -, the pandemic and other factors led the vast majority of users (96%) not to keep the application after the trial period, which would lead to its closure after only six months of existence.
Faced with this avalanche of American OTT services from large corporations, several European national media have chosen to ally themselves to be competitive, offering services that add up to the combined catalogs of the members, such as Salto in France, Britbox in the United Kingdom, Joyn in Germany or LovesTv in Spain.
Source: OTT Streaming Wars: Raise or Fold Capgemini
As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, the pandemic has accelerated processes that were already taking place in many households, where the paradigm is no longer the choice between linear TV or streaming, but which platforms to pay for and for how long.
Live streaming is the big winner
Finally, we cannot fail to analyze the phenomenon of live streaming. Because of the pandemic, live streaming platforms have managed to attract a much larger audience than before. As expected, with confinement many people are spending more time on social networks, and the consumption of live content on Facebook Live, Instagram Live, YouTube Gaming, and other platforms such as Twitch has increased considerably.
In fact, Twitch is undoubtedly the leading platform for live streaming, controlling 76% of this market according to Stream Elemen
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
As we approach the end of this 2020, the study of the impact that this unusual year has had on the Broadcast & Media industry is more interesting than ever, not only to confirm some early ideas about what remote working, confinement and the lack of leisure alternatives could cause, but also to begin to understand the new paradigms of an industry whose circumstances have led in many cases to a quantitative, cultural and technological leap forward. 
