What are Filipinos watching during the pandemic?
With streaming of movies and shows entertaining Filipinos during the COVID-19 quarantine, a meta-search website recently took a look at their viewing interests.
Iprice curated Filipino viewers’ interests on TV shows and movies by recording each shows’ searches on Google from January to May.
The review showed that there was an increase in search interests on streaming content.
As of May 28, the search interest was dominated by Korean televisions series, old American sitcoms and Filipino movies.
Here are the insights based on the curation of iPrice:
K-Drama show searches spike
The online marketing firm saw a rise of interest in K-drama during the lockdown.
“K-Dramas always had a big market in the country so it comes to no surprise that Filipinos are binge-watching these shows during the lockdown,” iPrice said.
The review of the marketing firm revealed that there was a massive change in interest on one of the top-rating K-dramas of 2020, “Itaewon Class.” They recorded 9,900% increase of search for this series compared to the couple of months before the enhanced community quarantine in March.
This was seconded by “Reply 1988” with an increase in search interest of 456%, followed by well-loved “Crash Landing on You” or CLOY that earned 427% increased between January 22 and March 22.
iPrice noted that CLOY “reached its peak searches after its final episode aired in February, before the lockdown, but searches dramatically decreased in just two weeks.”
READ: Even local personalities caught the K-drama ‘Crash Landing On You’ bug
After the ECQ was implemented mid-March, however, the marketing firm said there was a re-surge of search interest for CLOY which increased by 105% “since the period of decreased interest.”
Interest in certain local movies
Iprice also noticed an increase interest in certain old local movies such as “Heneral Luna” “Four Sisters and a Wedding” and “Goyo: The Boy General” which are all available for streaming on Netflix.
Five-year-old “Heneral Luna” saw an increase of search interests of 809% while its sequel historical film “Goyo” garnered search interest of 300%. On the other hand, 2013 Star Cinema comedy-drama “Four Sisters and a Wedding” gained a 376% increase of search interests.
Old American sitcoms revisited
With binge-watching as one of the main source of entertainment, iPrice also learned that interest in old American comedy sitcoms revived during the quarantine period.
“These American comedy sitcoms must be effective in uplifting the moods of Filipinos as ‘Modern Family’ saw a search interest increase of 426%, while ‘Community’s’ search interests’ increased by 400%, and ‘How I Met Your Mother’s’ by 355%,” it said.
‘Money Heist’ is most searched
Meanwhile, Spanish show “Money Heist” or “La Casa de Papel,” with its fourth season that premiered last April 3, gained the most interests “all the most searched shows and movies iPrice Group curated during April.”
“Itaewon Class” and “CLOY” trailed behind “Money Heist” during this period.
iPrice said “the increase of interest was recorded by comparing the period of peak searches after lockdown with the searches two months prior to the peak, which was before lockdown.” These Google trends data was recorded May 28.
During the lockdown, iPrice also recorded “the web visit increase of streaming sites in the Philippines recommended by Click the City, not including websites that stream videos other than movies and shows.”
