The increase in OTT will drive need for metrics

The time people spend in front of the screens grew steeply during confinement (an average of 35-40% in Latin America).
Tune-in growth, which was initially driven by the news (newscasts grew 70% the first few weeks), began to stabilize and is at 20% more today with respect to pre-pandemic levels. “This is empiric proof that the system is alive and that, in moments such as these, the population seeks reliable information on television,” said Ariel Hajmi, CEO from Kantar Ibope Media Argentina and Uruguay.

The quarantine produced several phenomena. Without the regular work and school schedules, people wake up and go to bed later, leading to a decrease in the early-morning rating, but the second period of the day and primetime rose until 1am in some countries.

Likewise, linear channels won young audiences, rising in some cases between 200% and 250%.

Streaming platforms, meanwhile, accelerated their growth, with a special boost in free ones. “People´s pockets are not infinite to allow them to have multiple platforms. That is why free platforms such as YouTube have grown,” said Hajmi.

He also explained that the increase in OTT competition will drive the need for metrics that involve all the platforms so they are able to be competitive in the markets. “The competition will open the game and I think that is going to be positive for the streaming industry and for the media industry and the communications industry in general”.

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