By Thierry Nammour, DMS- Strategic Publishing Lead

3min Read

In this time of anxiety and uncertainty with everyone either worried or stuck in-doors, or both, we are witnessing a period of drastic change in content creation and consumption. Now, more than ever, users are looking to either be entertained, inspired, or educated, and across our portfolio of publishers, we are observing how each of those three facets of content is being produced, then subsequently consumed.

Four walls can only allow a person’s imagination to entertain them for so long before the need to be transported away to a world of fiction becomes overwhelming. Video platforms, such as Dailymotion, Weyyak and Zee5 are seeing a 50% increase in both new users and video views, with the focus being Mid-to-Long form content, with dramatic and fictional story-telling leading the way.

The change in users’ at-home behavior is also apparent in the audio content consumed on Anghami, with playlists related to Cooking, Focus and Chilling increasing by 53%, 45% and 31% respectively, while users’ isolation is leading them to be more social digitally, with Song Shares increasing by 29%, reaching over 60,000 a day.

During this troubling period people have stepped up individually and as a community, with the most obvious aspect of such a drive being the selfless act of Social Distancing in order to help and protect the people most at risk. Human interest stories and inspirational acts are what reaffirm our faith in ourselves and in the certainty that we will overcome this crisis. Lifestyle platforms, such as Hellooha and Nawa3em, and even sports platforms such as ESPN and Kooora, are seeing massive interest from their users in regards to individuals’ achievements and efforts to do their part, whether it is to read about charitable acts, or the story of a cared-for celebrity battling COVID-19.

And last, but not least, a phenomenon witnessed during every major social event, the unfortunate propagation of rumors and fake stories is taking place once more. It is the need for factual information that is driving an increase in health-related readership across sites like Mawdoo3 and Supermama, where the content has always gone through a rigorous vetting process before being published; over 2.7 Million people have informed themselves regarding COVID-19 and preventative measure on Mawdoo3 alone.

This is a period when everyone is stepping up to do their part to entertain, inspire and educate, and this is taking place everywhere, whether it be from individuals and communities, or publishers and brands.