NEW YORK, NY–The media and entertainment industry ranks first out of the 10 industries featured in MBLM’s Brand Intimacy COVID Study, a study of brands based on emotional connections during the pandemic.

And YouTube is now the top category brand, followed by Amazon Prime and Disney, respectively. YouTube, which previously ranked sixth, also remains the top brand with men while Amazon Prime remains the top brand for women.

YouTube’s rising performance, it said, speaks to its broad appeal, and extensive, user-generated content, an ideal match for our troubling and challenging times.

MBLM’s study reveals that the remaining brands in the top 10 for the industry are Netflix, PlayStation, Nintendo, ESPN, Xbox, hulu and HBO. Consumer preference for Nintendo and ESPN has increased, whereas preference for Xbox and HBO has decreased.

During the pandemic, daily usage of media and entertainment increased by 7 percent. Consumers also increased their reliance on media and entertainment brands, with a 13 percent rise in “Can’t live without,” a measure that determines how essential a brand is in individuals’ lives. Media and entertainment brands also perform better with men than women, and with consumers older than 35.

MBLM (pronounced Emblem) uses emotional science to build and manage more intimate brands. Brand intimacy is the emotional science behind the bonds individuals form with the brands they use and love.  And it has financial importance. Top intimate brands continue to significantly outperform the leading brands in the Fortune 500 and S&P 500 indices across revenue growth, profit growth and stock price during the second quarter of 2020, compared to the second quarter of 2019, according to the study. The percentage differences are significant and indicate the degree to which intimate brands generate millions more dollars in revenue.

MBLM also analyzed the industry in an article entitled Escape & Enjoyment. The piece looks at YouTube’s growth since the start of COVID, as well as how the launch of new streaming platforms impacted the industry and how brands created an at-home community of sharing throughout the pandemic.

“While media and entertainment is always a top brand intimacy industry, the pandemic has increased consumer reliance and usage, with more people spending time at home and in need of escape and distraction,” said Mario Natarelli, managing partner, MBLM. “As overall media consumption has grown, so has media sharing, which allowed brands focused on user-generated content like YouTube to significantly improve their brand intimacy.”

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Lloydmedia, Inc is based in Markham, Ontario, Canada, and is a multi-platform media company which delivers a total audience of more than 100,000 readers across four national magazines, three industry directories, and a range of events and online marketing.