Maltese rank high for streaming and gaming during COVID lockdown

The Maltese were among the most likely in the EU to use online streaming services and play online games to entertain themselves in 2020, the year of the lockdown.

Ninety-three per cent of local internet users reported streaming television and video content last year, the second-highest percentage recorded among EU member states, according to Eurostat data.

The two countries at the top of the list were the Netherlands and Cyprus, at 95 per cent each.

The lowest shares were observed in Romania and Bulgaria, where only 37 per cent and 44 per cent of users respectively reported streaming online content.

Malta also recorded the second-highest proportion of people who spent their time online playing games. Tied with Denmark, some 47 per cent of Maltese who use the internet said they largely spent their online time gaming. Only the Netherlands was higher at 56 per cent.

The lowest proportions of those who spent time gaming online were recorded in Poland and Bulgaria, at 19 and 16 per cent.

According to Eurostat, in 2020 some 90 per cent of Maltese households had access to an internet connection, representing a jump of 15 percentage points in nine years from where it stood, at 75 per...