Covid and Comfort Blanket Content

As we head into self-isolation, with working and staying at home becoming the norm, one notable side-effect from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic will undoubtedly be our media consumption.

Whilst trips to the cinema and theatre go on hold as all the multiplexes go dark and safety curtains go down - everyone will be turning for other forms of entertainment in order to unwind.

It goes without saying that in-home media consumption will go through the roof as we're all confined indoors, but it will also be interesting to see what kind of genres fare well in these troubled times.

I know from personal experience that I've been struggling this week to get through Stephen King's The Outsider on Sky Atlantic because it's just too dark and grim (I think it's a decent show but not right now) and instead find myself chuckling through Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm back catalogue. (again!)

I imagine we will all be retreating into 'comfort blanket content' like The Office and Seinfeld on our streaming services, eschewing more challenging shows like dramas or crime thrillers.

The instinct to reach for the familiar might be just as well, since TV and film production has also stopped - meaning that repeats will be filling up schedules and the flow of new shows will no doubt be interrupted.

What are you listening to...?

Music too will no doubt be affected. Again from my own personal experience I've found myself streaming Sade (above) and Corinne Bailly Ray over the past week instead of any of the indie fodder with a slightly harder edge that normally floats my boat.

Once we're out the other side it will be curious to see the winners and losers when it comes to what's being streamed on Spotify, Netflix, Apple etc.

And what about radio?

On TV this morning, Ian Dale - who is a radio presenter in the UK for talk station LBC - was even advocating his listeners switching over to Smooth FM if it helps with their anxiety or mental health. Smooth FM is an easy listening station of old classics in the UK intent of giving their listeners 'smoooootthhh' tunes to relax and unwind to.

Rival stations plugging each other just highlughts us what strange times we are in.

Once this all blows over

Once this all blows over (and it will) I wonder how our media consumption will be affected in the immediate aftermath. I know that after 9:11, there was a real shift away from disaster movies and dramas and a move towards lighter romcoms and period dramas. Will we see the same thing happen again?

No doubt Hollywood and TV execs will have half an eye on the films and series slated for release or green light with the anticipation that our tastes might fundamentally have changed by the time they reach our screens.

In the meantime I think we best just grab the comfort blanket content that works for us, batten down the hatches and hope for the best.

Glenn Matchett, Grammatik Agency