Vice President of Sales, Comscore
Search every verified Bryan Segal interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Bryan Segal, Senior Vice President at Comscore, has discussed shifts in digital media consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated that internet usage in Canada and globally saw a major increase as people sought information, and noted that news websites from Canadian outlets such as CBC, CTV, and Global, as well as newspapers like the Globe and Mail and National Post, experienced large traffic increases. Segal also observed that government websites became a key destination for COVID-19 information, and that e-commerce saw a "huge explosion" among retailers such as Loblaws, Walmart, and Canadian Tire, which he described as a "launchpad for transformation" for legacy businesses. In separate remarks on gaming and marketing, Segal argued that "not all gaming is equal" and emphasized the importance of segmentation among gamers and platforms. He cited data showing a 34% year-over-year increase in Twitch penetration, with the average Canadian spending over 420 minutes per month on the platform. Segal stated that eSports sponsorships represent a "huge opportunity" for brands, and that many gamers do not mind product placement in games when it is relevant. He also said that "the biggest issue in marketing is attention" and that the future of advertising lies in programs rather than paid ads.
“So we saw a major increase in terms of internet usage in Canada and across the globe based off of the pandemic, obviously, people flocked to the internet to get information on an ongoing basis.”
“We saw some categories showing major increases, but then other categories that declined as consumer behavior changed. As you start to see the coming back of sports, we're starting to see an uptick in sports, automotive, and other categories like real estate have seen significant increases since the pandemic.”
“Travel is still an area where we're starting to see an uptick. In Canada, we've seen a solid uptick, people looking to travel and to look for information locally. But in the United States, you've seen increases and then in June, you saw decreases again as the continued case increases.”
“We saw wealth management numbers way up, people spending a lot of time looking at their investments. People at the beginning making sure everything's sound and in place and as it went on making sure they have enough money and checking their ongoing status.”
“People were looking everywhere for news, the internet obviously was a hotspot. We saw huge growth by many of the Canadian players of news like CBC, CTV, and Global, as well as newspapers like Globe and Mail and National Post, with huge increases in traffic to their websites and mobile devices.”
“Government websites were seen as a huge destination for COVID news, helping people understand what's going on, the rules and regulations, and how they could interact in the world.”
“We saw a major increase in social platforms. It's not just the social side of it, it's the community side of it. Messaging applications increased, and people used social media for updates, networking, and staying in touch with their community despite being locked down.”
“In entertainment, we saw an uptick especially for kids as schools locked down. Digital platforms became huge destinations for kids' amusement, with increases in streaming on multiple devices and a shift from movies to OTT and other types of content.”
“This has been a launchpad for transformation. E-commerce, educational tools, and social distancing have sped up the transformation of how many legacy businesses have moved from just having a website to being more integrated digitally. We've seen huge upticks in e-commerce for companies like Loblaws, Sobeys, Walmart, Ca...”
“Not all gaming is equal so all gamers are not equal, not all games are equal. There's a lot of segmentation and the segmentation comes very very deep, from gamers versus people watching games to different platforms like console, PC, mobile, and VR, each with different demographics and engagement.”
“In the U.S., 64 percent of households own a device that can play a video game, with 31 million households having a game console, and over 100 billion dollars spent on the video game industry. Canada has similar penetration rates, indicating a big opportunity for marketers.”
“68% of people don't disagree or are neutral to advertising, and over half of gamers who dislike ads would be okay with rewarded advertisement, where they get rewarded for watching ads or being part of ads.”
“People do not mind product placement in games and most find it actually adds to their gaming experience, especially when the product placement is relevant and features real-life brands rather than fake ones.”
“Choice is very important in gaming models; 80% of people want a choice when they spend real money, and 73% of freemium game players make in-game purchases, with 33% enjoying making those purchases but feeling compelled to do so.”
“Twitch penetration is increasing rapidly with a 34% year-over-year increase; 21 million Americans accessed Twitch, with higher reach among 13-17 year olds than adults, and the average Canadian spends over 420 minutes monthly on Twitch, equating to seven hours.”
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