Ryosuke Igari: Changes in Media Consumption Behavior

I have conducted empirical research on consumer behavior using behavioral data, such as internet browsing and in-store purchasing behavior. My recent interest lies in people's media consumption behavior. This is because I have always loved TV dramas and previously worked for a company that primarily handled media data. Until a decade or so ago, terrestrial television programs were the mainstream for video content. However, in recent years, viewing methods for video content have diversified to include catch-up TV (such as TVer) distributed online after broadcasting, video streaming services like Netflix, and video-sharing services like YouTube, in addition to traditional television programs.

A recent study I conducted examined changes in media usage by the same individuals due to COVID-19 and the associated stay-at-home requests. Looking back at media usage in 2020, during the spring of 2020 when the state of emergency was declared (the so-called first wave), the total viewing time for terrestrial television increased significantly compared to the previous year. In particular, viewing of "News," "Education/Culture," and "Variety Shows" increased. Additionally, the use of the internet and apps also grew significantly during the same period. It is thought that people with extra time due to staying at home began using television and the internet more than ever. However, what is interesting is that despite the pandemic continuing through the second and third waves after the summer of 2020, media usage gradually decreased and returned to almost the same level as the previous year by the end of the year. This is likely because the pandemic lasted longer than expected, leading many people to adapt to the "new normal" and shift back toward their daily routines.

While changes in media usage during the pandemic can be considered a special case, as mentioned earlier, media and video content are diversifying every year, and people's usage behavior is changing accordingly. However, it is difficult to continuously obtain behavioral data for the same individuals regarding their viewing of terrestrial TV, catch-up TV, and video streaming services, and there is still little research that analyzes these in an integrated manner. Moving forward, I hope to flexibly develop my research to keep pace with this diversification and change in media consumption behavior.