Forecast: Video Consumption to Jump During COVID-19

Coronavirus issues could mean a 60% increase in the amount of video content watched in U.S. homes, according to Nielsen.

In other parts of the world, one impact of the coronavirus is rising TV usage: In South Korea, TV usage was up 17% in the last week in February from the second week of that month -- 1.2 million viewers.

In Italy, there was a 6.5% increase in TV viewing and almost 12% more in the Lombardy region of the country during the last week of February, according to Auditel, the Italian Joint Industry Committee.

Mediapost reports Nielsen notes media consumption in the U.S. is already at historical highs, with U.S. consumers 18+ already spending 3 hours/58 minutes using a smartphone, 3 hours/27 minutes watching liveTV, and 1 hour/41 minutes listening to radio.

They spend 52 minutes using a tablet; 38 minutes were using an internet-content device; 32 minutes using internet on a computer; 29 minutes watching time-shifted TV; 13 minutes on a gaming console; and 4 minutes with a DVD/Blu-Ray player.

By way of comparison to other major disruptive events, TV usage climbed 56% in Houston when Hurricane Harvey hit in August 2017.