Older New Zealanders may remember a time when families huddled around the wireless waiting to hear the news or watched a single television channel on a small, flickering black and white screen on the box in the corner of the lounge.
However, things are very different these days, with the constant stream of information and entertainment that has become part and parcel of our everyday existence.
During the unprecedented nationwide Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, major changes in technology kept many Kiwis linked together and entertained during challenging times.
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Spark says that daily usage during the many months when Kiwis were confined to their homes, shot up dramatically with weekday daytime broadband usage roughly doubling during the first lockdown.
People were working from home, learning from home, and because they couldn’t go out and meet friends or play sport, they had to find other ways of staying in touch.
Not surprisingly, streaming services such as Spotify, Neon and Netflix benefitted from an intense up-tick in customer interest - the latter included in some of Sparks’ Unlimited Fibre plans, but it wasn’t only increased screen time that was notable.
Multiple devices operating within the home saw foodies in the kitchen cooking up a storm to the accompaniment of their favourite tunes or checking out how-to videos on YouTube, while children hung out with their mates on iPads and other family members took advantage of online gym or yoga classes.
Binge-watching surged with smart TVs, Playstations, Xboxes and Chromecasts playing a pivotal role.
Sport fanatics got their fix from Spark Sport with live and on-demand coverage of international sport including cricket, football the ever-popular Formula One racing series and many other sports, across six 24/7 channels.
Smart devices also helped families all around Aotearoa stay connected.
Photo / Getty Images.
Alex Stoneman, device specialist at Spark New Zealand, says that one trend which quickly became apparent during lockdowns was the increased interaction between children and older family members such as grandparents.
“Lots of families got their children smartwatches, so that they could chat to their grandparents, or even play games with them, keeping them entertained while their parents were working at home.”
And today’s children are more tech-savvy than ever before. One can be on the Smart TV watching Disney and another on an iPad playing Netflix.
Stoneman says that demand for Xboxes also shot up as gamers of all ages sought ways to stay connected to their friends around the globe.
“It gave many Kiwis a way to escape their current reality and the feeling of being confined to their homes.”
He says that people couldn’t go out and spend – or travel, so lots of New Zealanders decided to use the money they were saving to kit out their homes and treated themselves to new products like OLED TVs, or sound bars to improve an existing TV’s sound.
“Our own LG OLED TV arrived at the same time as my partner tested positive for Covid-19, so she spent seven days binge-watching shows which made her isolation a lot nicer than it could have been.”
New trends in the digital space continue apace and Spark remains focused on offering its customers products and services that help them win big in a digital world.
“I keep my ear to the ground, sourcing products that are a bit out of left field wherever I can,” says Stoneman.
“At the moment I’m excited about smart lighting, which is voice activated so if you’ve gone to bed and left a light on somewhere, you don’t have to get up to turn it off.”
“Overall, technology is a great enabler in many positive ways and there are boatloads of cool products coming.”
When it comes to the ever-evolving world of entertainment, the opportunities are endless and that’s where Spark comes in. Whether it’s interest-free offers on quality products, or mobile and broadband plans for all your entertainment needs – Spark’s got you covered.
