HBO Sees 40% Spike in Streaming During Coronavirus-Forced Shutdown

Omar is finally coming for many TV viewers, who have flocked to HBO Now during the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced many to isolate themselves at home. And it’s been one of HBO’s oldest series that has been among the biggest beneficiary.

In a medium post published on Tuesday, WarnerMedia’s chief research officer Cheryl Idell said viewership for “The Wire,” the crime series from David Simon that aired for five seasons between 2002-2008, has tripled since March 14, compared to its average over the prior four weeks. Idell added that HBO Now has seen an overall 40% in viewership in that same timeframe.

Other old HBO titles to see a major viewership bump include “Sex and the City” and “The Sopranos,’ which have both nearly doubled their average audiences.

Also Read: YouTube Switches to Standard Definition as Its Default Setting Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

And across the entire WarnerMedia entertainment portfolio, which includes TNT and TBS, viewership has risen 20% since March 14. “Westworld,” which just returned for its long-awaited third season this month, is unsurprisingly HBO’s top series on its platform. But the network has also seen its audience for “Euphoria” double over its average for the last four weeks. Other series including “Big Little Lies,” “Game of Thrones” and “Chernobyl” have seen gains of over 50% as well.

The documentary “Ebola: The Doctor’s Story” is up 7 times as much when compared with its prior four-week average. It should be noted that WarnerMedia did not provide any hard viewership numbers.

Streaming platforms are one of the few businesses that are well-equipped to handle the virtual shutdown of American life as many businesses have shifted to a work from model in an attempt to stop the spread of the highly-contagious disease. It only stands to reason that home viewing would skyrocket with so many people forced to stay inside. But that also has forced some streaming platforms to alter their streaming options so to not overwhelm their bandwidth capabilities.

YouTube will be shifting to standard definition streaming as its default setting, while last week Netflix reduced its bitrates in Europe, in a move the company said “will reduce Netflix traffic on European networks by around 25%.” Whether similar measures will be taken in the U.S. remains to be seen.

'OJ: Made in America': The 5 Biggest Shockers (Photos)

The first episode of ESPN's "OJ: Made in America," focuses on OJ Simpson's early years, and only hints at the tragedy to come. Here are five surprises, and why they're significant.

Also Read: How ‘OJ: Made In America’ Is Better Than Any Other OJ Simpson Retrospective
ESPN Films
1. He Married His Best Friend's Girlfriend

Childhood friend Joe Bell recalls how Simpson "stole his best friend's girl" -- convincing his first wife Marguerite to marry him instead of Al "AC" Cowlings.
ESPN Films
Cowlings, of course, was the endlessly supportive friend who took the wheel as Simpson fled police in the white Bronco.
2. He Knew How to Get Out of Trouble

In high school, when a coach caught Simpson and his friends shooting dice and took them to the principal's office, Simpson waited a few beats and then followed the coach out. Bell recalled him explaining, "I was just helping Mr. McBride bring these guys down here. And Dean Smith let him go."
ESPN Films
The film suggests that Simpson's gift for getting out of tight situations have him a false sense that he was indestructible.
ESPN Films
3. OJ's Father Was Gay

Bell also recounts his discovery that Simpson's father was gay: "Back in our day, that was the worst thing you could ever think about an African-American man," Bell said.
ESPN Films
Prosecutors say Simpson once beat Nicole Brown Simpson for letting a gay man kiss his son, Justin, during a family trip to Hawaii.
ESPN Films
4. "I'm Not Black. I'm OJ."

Sociologist Harry Edwards -- featured prominently in "Made in America" -- tried in the late '60s to get black athletes to take political stands.

"We were trying to get black athletes to understand they have a role in the current Civil Right movement," Edwards said. "His response was, I'm not black. I'm OJ."
ESPN Films
Edwards inspired two track stars, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, to give the black power salute at the 1968 Olympics. Simpson wondered if they had been used by the movement.
ESPN Films
"OJ's quest was to erase race as a defining factor in his life and that was the basis upon which white society not only accepted him but embraced him," Edwards says in the film. "Now there are problems with that because what enabled OJ to be OJ and not be black was that so many Negroes and black people stood up, made the sacrifice, paid the price."
ESPN Films
Though Simpson was skeptical of the gesture at the '68 Olympics, one of the jurors in his case -- a former Black Panther -- raised a fist to Simpson after finding him not guilty of murder. (The moment was dramatized in "The People v OJ Simpson")
FX
5. He Was Rough With Nicole on Their First Date

Her friend, David LeBon, remembers her returning from her first date with Simpson with her jeans ripped. "And she goes, well, he was a little forceful."
ESPN Films
Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman, were murdered on June 12, 1994. Simpson was charged in the killings and acquitted the next year.
ESPN Films
Even if you've seen OJ: Made in America and "People v OJ Simpson," here are 5 OJ Simpson Facts You Still Don't Know.

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Episode 1 of ESPN’s “OJ: Made in America” only hints at the insanity to come

The first episode of ESPN's "OJ: Made in America," focuses on OJ Simpson's early years, and only hints at the tragedy to come. Here are five surprises, and why they're significant.

Also Read: How ‘OJ: Made In America’ Is Better Than Any Other OJ Simpson Retrospective

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'OJ: Made in America': The 5 Biggest Shockers (Photos)

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