With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
What Exactly Are We Doing At Home? Not Just Streaming
()
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
There's never been a time like the pandemic, and there's never been more free time than during the pandemic. So what exactly are we doing with our daily schedules gone the way of handshakes and hugs?
A month into shelter-in-place orders, some meaningful research is starting to arrive. Some of the news is far from surprising.
Yes, we are watching boatloads more streaming content; Netflix's Tiger King attracted 34 million viewers in its first 10 days. Bakers have been kneading a whole lot of bread. And people who love a little friendly competition are playing more board and video games, on platforms like Twitch and Nintendo.
Support for LAist comes from
DON'T MISS ANY L.A. CORONAVIRUS NEWS
Get our daily newsletters for the latest on COVID-19 and other top local headlines.
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
But there are some unexpected details in the new data.
Even with so much unstructured time, we're not listening to more music, because we're not in our cars that much and major artists like Lady Gaga and Alicia Keys are delaying new album releasesuntil they can tour. With hardly anyone commuting to work, podcast downloads also are declining.
And home-bound audiences are looking for streaming beyond Netflix. The digital media company Roku has seen its sales explode, the new short-form video site Quibi reported 1.7 million downloads, and a few months into its launch Disney+ has 50 million subscribers.
Support for LAist comes from
With movie theaters closed (and some teetering on the edge of bankruptcy), the turnout for new films premiering on video-on-demand platforms is robust; according to NBCUniversal, last weekend's animated sequel Trolls World Tour was "the biggest debut ever for a digital release," though the studio didn't reveal exact figures. (Starting Wednesday evening, NBCUniversal's new ad-supported streaming site, Peacock, will become available on certain platformsahead of its July 15 launch.)
In a comprehensive writeup in his newsletter Screentime, Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw reports that sales of puzzles and games are skyrocketing (up more than 200% in late March), that more people are sharing shelter-in-place videos and photos on Instagram (up 22%) and that viewers are abandoning sports channels like ESPN in favor of cable outlets like Fox News. Users of Twitch spent 1.3 billion hours on the gamer site last month, while the online video game "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" has become a blockbuster around the world.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care. -
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
Best of LAist