Lockdown boosted Belgian’s consumption of content, especially news and entertainment, while sports decreased

• The usage of Netflix jumped by 45% in the first days of confinement
• Information content increased its market share by 30%.
• Shows like De Mol, Belges à domicile, Boer zoekt vrouw, Temptation Island or Top Chef attracted increasingly large audiences
• Movies grew from 43% to 47% of overall TV consumption
• Sports-related channels saw their audience halved

The lockdown has fundamentally changed the way Belgians consume media. OTT players, such as Netflix, are the clear winners. Belgian channels like VTM, Een, La Une and RTL-TVI also did very well thanks to entertainment shows and news. Conversely, sports channels lost half their audience.

OTT players emerge as clear winners

Since the start of confinement customers have been looking for more entertainment. OTT (over-the-top) players have emerged as the clear winners. Usage of Netflix grew by an average of almost 45% in the first days of confinement. The impact was then compensated by the limits Netflix set on streaming quality to avoid saturation of the networks. For instance, the launch of the new La Casa de Papel season boosted Netflix traffic by 30%. Increases in usage have also been observed on other content platforms such as Auvio (RTBF).

Belgian television channels increased their audience thanks to news and entertainment

In terms of media consumption, the lockdown boosted the Belgians’ appetite for news. A survey conducted by Orange Belgium showed that more than half of Belgians (54%) have been following the news more closely than before.

Ratings for news broadcasts on information-focused channels like La Une and Een jumped by 30%. During the first two weeks of confinement, 15% more viewers tuned in to local TV news proposed by VTM, La Une, EEN and RTL-TVI.

A good example of this renewed interest in local news: the government press conference on the lockdown of 24 April triggered a 150% increase in the usage of the Orange TV mobile application and a 30% decrease in Netflix traffic.

Looking at entertainment, the shows De Mol (VIER), Boer Zoekt Vrouw (VTM), and Blind Getrouwd (VTM) still rank amongst the best performers in Flanders along with Temptation Island. In the south, the result of Havas Village’s ‘Living in the new normal’ study showed that RTBF and RTL-TVI’s evening news are extremely popular, with shows such as Top Chef, Enquêtes and Belges à Domicile also doing very well. The show Koh-Lanta on French TV channel TF1 was also a smash hit.

It is also worth mentioning that movies gained 4 percentage points (up from 43% to 47% of overall TV consumption).

On the other hand, sports channels saw their ratings plummet by 50% due to the absence of major live sports events.

Christophe Dujardin, Chief Consumer Officer of Orange Belgium, comments: “Booming interest for OTT content does not come as a surprise. Belgian TV channels also did quite well as Belgians were not just looking for information but also entertainment during the lockdown. It is interesting to note the acceleration of other underlying trends, like the increase in usage of the Orange TV app, which shows that customers do not consume media the way they did before, even when at home.”