The COVID-19 pandemic has caused people to turn to nostalgic TV shows and movies for comfort, a study from Disney and RadioTimes.com has shown.
Family Guy
RadioTimes.com conducted a survey of 6,600 TV fans from across the UK to discover their watching habits over the lockdown period in celebration of the launch of Star on Disney Plus, which comes to the platform on Tuesday (23.02.21).
And of those surveyed, more than a third (37 per cent) said watching TV and movies was their favourite thing to do during lockdown, with a whopping two-thirds (64 per cent) admitting they had re-watched a TV series they’d already seen.
Another 43 per cent of respondents said they enjoyed returning to older movies and TV shows for a sense of nostalgia and comfort amid these trying times, and will no doubt have loved the wide selection of animated Disney classics available on the company’s streaming service.
RadioTimes.com also discovered people are watching an average of 31 hours of television each week, with 27 per cent of people admitting they watch content during the day when they should be working.
From Tuesday, telly lovers will be able to indulge in even more shows on Disney Plus, when their newest addition, Star, is made live for all subscribers.
Star will come with content including ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘24’, ‘Ugly Betty’, ‘The X-Files’, ‘Lost’, and ‘Family Guy’, with more shows and titles being added weekly.
And when asked in the survey which shows they were most excited to catch on Star, more men said they enjoy having a laugh with ‘Family Guy’ listed as their favourite show, whilst women love the drama of ‘Desperate Housewives’.
Tim Glanfield, Editorial Director, RadioTimes.com said: “In what has been a tremendously challenging year for so many, the British public have turned to television for solace, escapism, information and entertainment. The pandemic has accelerated the pace of change across much of the media landscape, with a boom in subscriptions to streaming services like Disney Plus as people seek out the latest releases and find comfort in re-watching their favourite shows and films. And with many of us working at home with such a huge selection of content at our fingertips, the temptation to start watching when we’re meant to be working is obviously sometimes too much to resist!”
Disney Plus is priced at £5.99 a month or £59.99 annually, but prices are set to change on Tuesday, with the monthly cost rising to £7.99, and an annual subscription costing £79.99.