Discovery Channel Demonstrates Adaptability in the Face of COVID-19
With people hunkered down at home over the past two months, audiences have been hungrier than ever for news and entertainment. As a result, cable TV networks have had the responsibility of adapting their programming lineups and creating new content in light of recent events. From producing on the fly to having talent and staff working from their homes, it is an extraordinary feat to keep viewers informed, up to date, and entertained as the pandemic surges on. We recently caught up with Discovery Channel Senior Vice President of Programming, Donna D'Alessandro, to find out how the network has
How Mediacom and Des Moines Public Schools Are Closing the Opportunity Gap
As the school year starts to draw to a close, students and teachers are preparing for the possibility that distance education is here to stay for the foreseeable future. This comes on the heels of the rapid transition to online learning for millions of students around the country. To make sure those students don’t fall behind, America’s broadband leaders have extended their offerings to low-income students through the Keep Americans Connected Pledge, as well as through community programs, including public–private partnerships such as the one between Mediacom and Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS
Telehealth is Gaining Prominence in Fight Against COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many things to a halt, but the internet is not one of them. In fact, America's robust cable broadband networks, which NCTA has been tracking weekly for the past two months, have successfully handled the surge in internet traffic, and have accelerated the demand for remote work, distance learning, and most pertinent to the ongoing crisis—telehealth. Cable operators have long been active in the healthcare world through partnerships with hospitals and clinics to help providers utilize the technology and connectivity needed to offer this alternative form of
How COVID-19 Is Changing How Americans Watch TV
It’s been about two months since most Americans transitioned to stay-at-home orders, enough time for new data to start becoming available to measure how habits have changed. With more time on their hands, many have turned to their screens to fill the days, according to new data. Nielsen reports that Americans are streaming TV content at about twice the levels they were last year. In fact, for the week ending in April 27, Americans streamed approximately 150.5 billion minutes of video. For comparison, the same week last year saw 84.8 billion minutes of streaming video. Web Traffic In fact, this
A Field Technician's View of the COVID-19 Pandemic
With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to require millions of Americans to stay home from work and school, our broadband networks are working overtime to provide a critical link in keeping consumers connected. As NCTA continues to report weekly on how cable's networks are managing the surge in internet traffic, it is also worth reflecting on the dedication and effort of those working behind the wires to keep networks ahead of the curve and help consumers in adapting to this unprecedented crisis. One of the most important reasons for our success is the hundreds of thousands of essential
New Data Shows How People Are Using the Internet During COVID-19
Since the COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home measures began in March for much of the country, viewers in the Americas started watching more streaming video, playing more video games, and using social media more, according to a new report by Sandvine. It might not come as a surprise, but the sudden massive shift in traffic from business networks to home networks also saw a sharp rise in video conferencing platforms like Zoom, in both upstream and downstream traffic according to Sandvine. According to the report, the top 10 sources of web traffic in the Americas were either streaming video, gaming
Supporting America's Schools During COVID-19
Teacher Appreciation Week has looked very different this year with school closures and students isolated at home with their families due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a lot of cases, kids are receiving classroom online instruction in order to close out their school year. Teachers and schools have gone to great lengths to continue the learning process for millions of students across the country through virtual means, and America's broadband leaders are working on the backend to not only ensure that their networks are meeting their demands, but to give access to those underserved households and
Broadband Performance: A Steady Story of Plateauing Peaks
The digital era has seen many advancements since the dawn of the internet, but never have America's broadband networks shown their mettle as they have during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we've been tracking weekly network performance nationwide, the reports have shown that cable's significant investment in infrastructure and technology upgrades over the last two decades has served consumers well as we increasingly depend on internet access for a wider variety of daily activities. According to the MIT Technology Review, "the covid-19 crisis is driving the biggest expansion in years" when it comes
America's Broadband Leaders Extend Their Connectivity Relief Efforts During COVID-19
Last month, the country's cable broadband leaders came together and made a commitment to help Americans get through this pandemic by signing onto the Keep Americans Connected Pledge. The FCC initiative was started to ensure that Americans and small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic could continue to access an internet connection. Through this pledge (which extended originally until mid-May), NCTA's broadband members committed to meet the government's pledge by waiving late fees for affected customers, maintaining connectivity irrespective of COVID-19 payment complications, and
Why Cable’s Broadband Network Is Handling the Pandemic and Ready for the Future
With America having shifted to a work-from-home and school-from-home environment for the past several weeks, internet traffic has skyrocketed. This week’s report from our COVID-19 dashboard shows that since March 1 national downstream peak growth is up more than 16% and national upstream peak growth has increased more than 34%, with some regions seeing upstream peak growth approaching a 50% increase. And while peak growth has slowed in recent weeks, the reality is that cable’s broadband networks have seen significant surges in internet traffic growth in just this short period of time. So how