How Britain entertained itself during lockdown

14 August 2020 - Press release

The data comes from ERA’s authoritative tracking study which has measured the entertainment choices of a representative panel of up to 2,000 consumers each quarter for the past seven years. The latest 28^th wave of the research commenced on May 25 2020, two months into the coronavirus lockdown. 

Top performer was the new Disney+ family subscription service, launched just as lockdown began, with 10.5% of respondents saying they had subscribed. It was followed by Netflix with 8.4% and Amazon Prime at 5.6%. 

Which, if any, of the following services have you decided to subscribe to since the coronavirus lockdown began?
1	Disney+	10.5%
2	Netflix	8.4%
3	Amazon Prime (music and video)	5.6%
4	Spotify	4.2%
5	Sky satellite TV	2.5%
6	Now TV	2.1%
7	Apple TV+	1.5%
8	YouTube Music	1.4%
9	Amazon Prime Video	1.2%
10	Amazon Prime Music Unlimited	1.2%

 

Significantly, most new subscribers say they will stick with their new services once lockdown is over, with more than 93% of Amazon Prime Music Unlimited subscribers saying they will maintain their subscription and more than 60% of those paying for each of the Top 10 services saying they will continue to subscribe.  

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “These are incredible results and show that digital services were not just a distress purchase during lockdown, but are continuing to transform Britain’s entertainment habits for the long term. The significant investment by digital services in convenience, range and accessibility are clearly paying dividends.”  

How likely are you to maintain your subscription once lockdown ends?
Service	Unlikely / Very Unlikely	Neutral	Likely/ Very Likely
Amazon Prime Music Unlimited	0.0%	6.7%	93.3%
Sky Satellite TV	3.0%	12.1%	84.8%
Netflix	5.5%	11.0%	83.5%
Apple Music	5.6%	11.1%	83.3%
Xbox Live	7.1%	14.3%	78.6%
Spotify	3.6%	20.0%	76.4%
Amazon Prime Video	6.3%	18.8%	75.0%
YouTube Music	5.6%	22.2%	72.2%
Disney +	18.2%	12.4%	69.3%
Amazon Prime	16.4%	19.2%	64.4%
Apple TV +	10.5%	26.3%	63.2%
Now TV	18.5%	18.5%	63.0%

 

 

Most physical buyers will return

 

With physical entertainment outlets shuttered during the lockdown, the 41% of respondents who normally shop for music, video and games in store were prevented from doing so.

 

But the ERA study offers heartening news for entertainment retailers, with nearly 80% of respondents saying they expect to spend as much or more in store once shops reopen.

 

There was one note of caution, however: The younger the respondent is, the more likely they are to shop less on the high street post-lockdown than they did before, with 33% of under-25s saying they will shop ‘less’ or ‘a lot less’.

 

 

Consumers still need persuading to buy first-run video streams

 

Significant concerns were raised by cinema owners during lockdown when studios announced plans to release brand-new movies direct to so-called premium video on demand (PVOD), one of the most high profile examples being Disney’s Mulan which will be made available in the US on September for $29.99 (£23).

 

Early data from the ERA panel, however, suggests UK consumers may take some persuading to pay such premium prices for new release movies.

 

The relatively small number of titles so far available means it is unsurprising that 98% of respondents said they had not tried premium video on demand during lockdown, but when asked about their future intentions, they were little more enthusiastic – 76% said they were unlikely or very unlikely to rent a PVOD, with 17.7% neutral and only 6.3% likely or very likely to participate.

 

 

Tough times ahead for live music

 

 

The ERA panel was also asked about out-of-home leisure activities to gauge the likely impact on businesses related to entertainment, such as cinema and gig going. Responses suggested sharp falls across all categories, including a fall of a more than a quarter in those likely to go sightseeing.

 

While 73.4% reported that they previously went to the cinema, only just over half said they were likely to do so post-lock down. Results for live music were even more challenging. Less than half of those attending live concerts and gigs said they would do so post-lockdown and only a third of previous festivalgoers said they were likely to attend in the future.

 

 

Out-of-home leisure - Did you previously participate and are you likely to participate post-lockdown?
	Previously did it	Likely to engage post lockdown	Variance
Sightseeing	85.3%	63%	-26.2%
Eating out	92.6%	64.6%	-30.2%
Shopping for non-essentials	96.5%	62.9%	-34.8%
Going to a pub/bar	77.1%	44.9%	-41.7%
Going to the gym	41.5%	22.5%	-45.9%
Going to the cinema	73.4%	38.2%	-47.9%
Playing sports	34.2%	16.3%	-52.4%
Going to concerts/gigs	53.9%	23.6%	-56.2%
Going to sports events	48.7%	20.3%	-58.4%
Going to the theatre	63.0%	24.5%	-61.1%
Going to a festival	36.7%	11.7%	-68.0%

 

 

 

Video and games dominated lockdown entertainment purchases

 

Alongside its panel-based tracking study, ERA has also analysed official sales data from the Covid-19 lockdown and discovered that video and games dominated the UK’s entertainment purchases.

 

The biggest two titles of the lockdown period came from Walt Disney Studios, Star Wars IX - The Rise Of Skywalker which generated sales of 637,484, followed by Frozen 2 (541,783).

 

Positions three to five – FIFA 20, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare and Grand Theft Auto V respectively – were all games.

 

The analysis looks at sales of video, games and albums during the period March 23 - June 13. Of the top 40 titles, 21 were games, 16 video and three albums.

 

ERA CEO Kim Bayley said, “The resilience of entertainment sales even during the lockdown was remarkable. It was an incredible result for Disney Studios, coming on top of the successful launch of Disney+, but it also highlighted the strength of the biggest videogames. The games business typically focuses on new releases. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was released in August 2019, FIFA 20 came out in September, and Grand Theft Auto V is nearly seven years old.”

 

 

 

ERA ENTERTAINMENT CHART – 2020 LOCKDOWN EDITION
	Category	Title	Artist	Company	Unit sales
1	Video	Star Wars IX - The Rise Of Skywalker		Walt Disney Studios	637,484
2	Video	Frozen 2		Walt Disney Studios	541,783
3	Games	FIFA 20		Electronic Arts	506,572
4	Games	Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare		Activision Blizzard	474,902
5	Games	Grand Theft Auto V		Rockstar Games	438,902
6	Video	1917		Universal Pictures	411,925
7	Video	Jumanji - The Next Level		Sony Pictures HE	411,151
8	Games	NBA 2K20		2k Sports	400,879
9	Games	Monopoly Plus		Ubisoft	253,045
10	Video	Bad Boys For Life		Sony Pictures HE	241,471
11	Games	Animal Crossing: New Horizons		Nintendo	206,069
12	Games	Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered		Activision Blizzard	203,749
13	Video	Onward		Walt Disney Studios	191,847
14	Games	Final Fantasy VII Remake		Square Enix	185,260
15	Video	Sonic The Hedgehog		Universal Pictures	177,940
16	Video	Knives Out		Elevation Sales	155,129
17	Games	The Sims 4		Electronic Arts	146,006
18	Games	Resident Evil 3		Capcom	143,042
19	Games	Assassin's Creed Odyssey		Ubisoft	132,395
20	Albums	Future Nostalgia	Dua Lipa	Warner Music	122,740
21	Games	Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order		Electronic Arts	116,669
22	Video	Le Mans '66		Walt Disney Studios	113,962
23	Games	Uno		Ubisoft	112,800
24	Games	Red Dead Redemption 2		Rockstar Games	108,784
25	Video	Little Women (2019)		Sony Pictures HE	108,245
26	Video	Jojo Rabbit		Walt Disney Studios	107,478
27	Games	Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege		Ubisoft	104,935
28	Albums	Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent	Lewis Capaldi	Universal Music	95,733
29	Games	Just Dance 2020		Ubisoft	95,656
30	Games	Forza Horizon 4		Microsoft	95,139
31	Video	Birds Of Prey And The Fantabulous		Warner Home Video	94,810
32	Games	Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy		Activision Blizzard	93,713
33	Games	EA Sports UFC 3		Electronic Arts	91,706
34	Video	Spies In Disguise		Walt Disney Studios	88,966
35	Video	Bloodshot		Sony Pictures HE	85,341
36	Games	Football Manager 2020		Sega	84,104
37	Video	The Gentlemen		EIV	80,780
38	Games	Spider-Man		Sony Interactive Entertainment	78,247
39	Albums	After Hours	Weeknd	Universal Music	75,871
40	Video	Dolittle		Universal Pictures	74,124

 

Includes sales from March 23 to June 13 2020.  Sources: Music: Official Charts Company - Includes all physical formats, digital download albums and album streams. Video: Official Charts Company - Includes all physical formats, electronic sell-through (film titles only). Games: ISFE GSD - Physical / Digital downloads