Internet traffic is still above pre-pandemic levels

The coronavirus pandemic initiated a faster digitalization of society – it encouraged us to use online services, shopping, and communication more frequently and extensively… It was one of the most common phrases mentioned in domestic media during the lockdown, i.e., the #stayathome phase. But how have our internet and TV usage habits really changed in Croatia? Iskon conducted an analysis on a sample of about 100,000 Croatian households and showed trends in internet and TV content consumption in March and April.

Hello, are you well?

Let’s start with fixed telephony, a service that has been experiencing a decline in usage for years due to the increasing number of mobile and smart devices. Consumption of fixed telephony increased significantly by 25 percent compared to the period before the crisis, but not in terms of the number of users, rather in the number of calls made using fixed telephony.

– It is important to note in this statistic that Iskon’s users are mostly from urban areas and are somewhat younger. Therefore, we have almost negligible representation of those who have only a fixed telephone in their package, without other telecommunications services –​ explains Gordan Glušac, director of Iskon’s marketing.

While consumption of all TV channels on IPTV grew by 10 percent in March and April, the top 10 most-watched channels recorded an increase in viewing minutes of as much as 69 percent compared to the period before the crisis. Among the top 10 most-watched on Iskon.TV were national and movie channels, while some other types of content (such as sports) saw a decline in viewership. Among movie channels, CineStar’s stood out.

– The viewership of CineStar’s channel TV 1 increased the most, by a significant 69 percent, and our CineStar TV Premiere channels also grew because we, as an operator, have them in the basic package, meaning all Iskon.TV users can watch them – says Krešo Madunović, ​ CEO of Iskon.

During the crisis, we did not gain new fans of television as a channel for information and entertainment. Croatians who previously used other channels for information and entertainment, says Madunović, still did not feel the need to turn on the TV, remaining loyal to their other habits.

Everything on (fixed) internet

The fixed internet connection was undoubtedly one of the most important allies for every household at the peak of the pandemic. Parents needed it for working from home, students and pupils for following classes and communicating with professors, conferences and other professional education shifted to it. Here we found fresh groceries with home delivery and other necessary items for the home, all the news we needed, as well as video conferencing applications through which we communicated not only for business but also with friends and family.

In line with all of the above, internet traffic increased on average by 27 percent in March and April, with the highest recorded value of 42 percent above average in the week following the earthquake in Zagreb. The increase in internet consumption has been noted since the beginning of March, when we increasingly sought information from domestic and foreign online media. Even then, traffic was up by 17 percent compared to usual.

When asked what grew the most on the internet, the answer is: everything. The aforementioned digital streaming-services and video conferences, as well as online games, schooling and education, online shopping, and working from home, which many more workers experienced than before the crisis. Unlike the residential segment, a contrary trend was recorded among business users. Although traffic also grew in the first weeks of March, from mid-March a decline in traffic was recorded, reaching 10 percent below the usual at the peak of the crisis in April. With the easing of measures, the opening of schools, and the re-establishment of activities, all values are returning to normal, so the total consumption of internet traffic last week was about 10 percent higher than before the crisis.

– We are stabilizing both in homes and in office spaces. In line with our exits from home, the load is returning to mobile networks. However, at the peak of the pandemic, we acquired some new habits, discovering new charms and applications of the internet. Therefore, I believe that traffic in the fixed internet network will remain slightly above pre-crisis levels in the future; this will soon be our new internet normal, a result of the digitalization of society that has been so widely written and talked about recently – concludes Madunović.

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