U.S. local newscasts: 25-54 demographic coronavirus viewership impact 2020

Between the weeks of February 3 and March 9, 2020, the DMA (Designated Market Area) in the United States with the highest increased in viewership of local news on major broadcast networks among adults aged 25 to 54 years old was San Francisco, with a 38.1 percent audience increase in March 2020 compared to the same week in February that year. The coronavirus spread rapidly across the United States in early to mid-March, sparking an increase the number of individuals self-isolating at home, quarantining, and turning to their preferred news sources to keep up to date with the outbreak. The West Coast of the U.S. was hit earlier than other parts of the country, explaining the high viewership increase in the key demographic in San Francisco, LA, and Seattle.