PAW Patrol: The Movie debuted simultaneously in theaters and on Paramount+ | Source: Spin Master

According to new data from The NPD Group, time spent watching TV and movies in the U.S. rose 4% in the first half of this year. Viewing hours spent between January and June accounted for nearly 30% of the time that U.S. families spent entertaining themselves, but overall consumer spending on screen-based entertainment fell 1%.

The latest data is of interest to the toy industry as viewership through streaming services is increasingly moving the needle toward sales of tie-in toys, games, and ancillary products.

While the numbers between 2020 and 2021 have been influenced by changing habits amid the COVID-19 pandemic, NPD says that there are some trends to anticipate in terms of entertainment consumption through the end of the year. Engagement for subscription video on demand (SVOD) has pulled back as time spent on experiences has spiked 104% this year as businesses reopened and more families got vaccinated.

Related: Mattel Reimagines ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ for a New Generation

“Looking ahead, the mandate for the industry is to retain viewer engagement and win the battle for share of viewers’ time,” says John Buffone, connected intelligence and media entertainment industry analyst for NPD. “As consumers migrate back to experiential activities, the available time to engage in watching TV shows and movies will naturally decline.”

NPD says that traditional content viewing on cable, satellite TV, and packaged media continues to migrate to streaming as theatrical attendance remained significantly below pre-pandemic levels during the first half of the year. The shift in theatrical schedules and the move to streaming for some titles drove attention to services such as Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and others.

Look for more on the growing relationship between streaming and toys in the October 2021 issue of the Toy Book, coming soon!

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

archivearrow-chevron-downarrow-chevron-left-greyarrow-chevron-leftarrow-chevron-rightarrow-fatarrow-left-blackarrow-left-whitearrow-right-blackarrow-rightarrow-roundedbookscalendarcaret-downclose-whiteclosedocumenteditorial-archiveeyefacebook-squarefacebookfilesgifthamburgerheadinghearthomeinstagram-squareinstagramlatestlinkedin-squarelinkedinmailmedia-inquiresmessagenewsopen-boxpagination-leftpagination-rightpauseplayprintproduct-archiverecent-productssearchsharesort-filterspotifysunteamtiktoktime_purpletimetrendingtvtwitter-squaretwitteryoutube