Roblox could become a brand advertising powerhouse: Brands flocked to video games for experiential marketing during the pandemic—but Roblox's lasting popularity with kids and its planned ad capabilities could keep it an appealing option even after lockdowns end.

The pandemic led to many upward revisions of our UK digital user forecasts. Some changes (podcast listeners) will be permanent, while others will be temporary (digital gamers). Our social network user numbers, meanwhile, didn’t change much at all.

A less global set of Olympic fans: Olympic organizers have banned foreign spectators from attending the games in Japan this summer, and there are two questions marketers should consider in response to this decision.

Lower CPMs may also attract brands, which have already expressed more interest in games in light of the user engagement during the pandemic. Finally, some developers and game publishers may have a loyal audience that they can get a high enough opt-in rate to IDFA under App Tracking Transparency to maintain their current models.

The pandemic has brought an influx of new users for subscription OTT, live videos, and video games in 2020, but other activities such as social networking, mobile messaging, and digital video haven’t seen the same bump.

eMarketer junior forecasting analyst Zach Goldner and senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Oscar Orozco discuss how US media use will change in 2021: Are fewer Americans watching TV, which digital devices are being used more, and how much time is spent with TikTok and Disney+? They then talk about how much people are willing to pay for TV streaming, virtually co-viewing digital content, and whether video games have replaced music as the most important aspect of youth culture.

Time spent with print formats was less than time spent with online press, at 26 minutes and 38 minutes, respectively. To date, traditional TV has maintained robust audiences. In H1 2020, 89.7% of respondents had watched live TV in the prior month. Broadcasters’ time-shifting options are popular, too.

Amid the pandemic, US adults spent 1 hour more per day on digital activities (across all devices) than they did in 2019, according to eMarketer’s latest time spent forecast from Insider Intelligence. Total digital time is now on track to surpass 8 hours by the end of 2022.