• by Wayne Friedman , April 8, 2020

Global broadband usage -- in the wake of the Covid-19 virus issues -- is growing, the result of slowing and/or disruptions with bandwidth constraints, especially on mobile devices.

Last month, there was a massive 380% rise in videos downloaded to 4.7 million versus March 2019, according to Penthera, a downloading technology firm for media and other companies.

There was nearly a 300% increase in the number of mobile devices used to download content over that period, and a nearly 600% rise in total data from videos downloaded, versus March 2019, to more than 2.5 petabytes.

Before COVID-19, travel and commuting were typical reasons for downloading activity. But Panthera says 80% of downloaded videos are played when a device is online. “That’s why, with stay-at-home orders in place, download activity is up across all our verticals— entertainment and health & wellness — and globally.”

Looking specifically at fitness -- cause by the pandemic issues, due to the closing of gyms/health clubs  -- downloading devices increased activity by 50% in March 2020 versus March 2019.

Consumers -- worldwide  -- spent a record 113 million hours in health and fitness apps during the week of March 22.