IPA Data: Post-lockdown life shows how 2020/21 shaped us

Some aspects of lockdown are sticking with us: subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) viewing in the UK remains sky-high even as the economy reopens, with a majority of Brits now watching SVOD every week; the social media landscape is changing, we’re drinking more, and doing a bit more sport to compensate for it, according to IPA TouchPoints data.

Why it matters

Throughout the first months of the pandemic, everybody wanted to know how this massive global event was going to change societies. Now 20 months down the line, the contours of that change are becoming apparent: more TV, more sport, more e-commerce.

Viewing habits that are here to stay

• SVOD is now the mainstream, with 56% of the UK public streaming for an average of 1hr and 20 minutes per day, up from 37% in 2018 and 1 hour and 6 minutes.
• The young lead the charge: SVOD reaches 78% of 15-24s, 65% of 35-54s, and 31% of 55+s in post-lockdown.
• Netflix, something of a first mover, has been ceding share as other services eat into its viewing time.

• The biggest gain among these is Disney+, which appears to have taken the most from Netflix and has seen its 7% share of video time in lockdown climb to 13% post-lockdown.

Which channels are winning reach?

• Netflix reaches 44% of Brits
• Amazon Prime Video 23%
• Disney+ 15%
• NowTV 3%
• YouTube Premium 2%
• Apple TV+ 2%
• BritBox 0.8%

Online shopping is here to stay

• 54% of the UK population now shops online, up from 31% in 2018.

The social scene

• Facebook’s reach is growing, according to TouchPoints, now reaching 66% of the UK post-lockdown. However, compared to 2018, it is seeing a smaller share of social media time at just 41% (down from 51%).
• TikTok, while relatively small at 13% of reach and 6% share of social time, is gaining on its nearest rivals of which there aren’t many, making it the sixth largest platform by reach after Facebook (66%), YouTube (43%), Instagram (36%), Twitter (23%) and Snapchat (14%).

The wider society

• Following lockdown, Brits are drinking alcohol at pre-pandemic levels as 63% of the public have been on the sauce compared to 59% and 53% in the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns respectively.
• More Brits are doing sport or exercise now (65%) than in pre-lockdown 2020 (57%) and for longer each day (40mins now vs 31 minutes).

Sourced from the IPA