EMarketer, a publication we follow closely, reports that most forms of digital media have seen their activity grow significantly during the pandemic. Over the Top TV (OTT), live video, digital audio and podcasts have experienced far more growth than industry observers ever expected.

Subscription OTT services such as Netflix, YouTube Pro, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and others have been the biggest winners. Subscriptions have grown by more than 13% this year, to more than 207 million.

Live video viewers, or internet users who watch live streaming video at least once a month, have risen by 15.1 million to more than 151 million in 2020. And while half of all digital audio listening was happening in the home prior to the pandemic, that share has risen to 70% in recent months.

Finally, EMarketer reported that the number of people who are listening to one or more Podcasts on a monthly basis increased by 16% year over year, to more than 107 million.

While all forms of digital media have been growing for much of the last decade, there is no doubt that increased time spent at home due to the pandemic has made 2020 a huge year for everything digital. Even though experts see growth slowing a bit by 2022, more people will continue turning to digital sources for news, sports and entertainment in the years ahead.

For more details on the use of Digital media in 2020, you can read the recent eMarketer article here.