‘Contagion.’
Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 pandemic thriller Contagion is the most streamed library title on Fandango in the US and is proving popular in Australia too.
The movie which follows attempts by medical researchers and health officials to identify and contain a rampant virus, starring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet and Jude Law, is among the 10 most rented or purchased movies on OTT service Fetch.
Like Netflix, Foxtel and the free-to-air channels, Fetch is seeing a big spike in viewing among its 700,000 subscribers.
Last week daily viewing on the Fetch Mighty PVR reached 6 hours and 20 minutes, an all-time record.
The FTA channels accounted for the bulk of that growth with 4 hours and 5 minutes per day, up 48 minutes on the February average. Pay TV channels and SVoD services were watched for just under an hour per day.
Movie rentals and purchases last week were 38 per cent higher than the February average. Among the other most popular titles are Playing with Fire, The Addams Family, Jojo Rabbit, Jumanji: The Next Level, Frozen II, Knives Out and Ford vs. Ferrari.
Scott Lorson.
“TV viewership is up sharply since social distancing regulations went into effect,” Fetch CEO Scott Lorson tells IF.
“Despite the lack of sport, FTA viewing continues to perform strongly, accounting for the majority of the increase. There is clearly a huge appetite for news throughout the day.
“Married at First Sight and Australian Survivor have delivered large audiences in their final weeks. Subscription channels, SVoD services and YouTube are also preforming very well.
“We are also seeing an increase in demand for the Fetch service. Aussie families are clearly looking for a single solution that allows them to access all the great content that entertains, informs and educates. Fetch makes it easy and affordable.”
Acknowledging that household budgets are under stress with rising unemployment, Fetch and its ISP partners continue to offer 30 free pre-selected movies each month.
In addition, 11 international and business news channels are free for three months. Fetch will offer individual channel packs on a free-look basis in coming months and for only $6 per month after that.