Digital Delight: Exploring Online Movie Preferences of University Students During the Pandemic

Abstract

During COVID-19, passing the time with joy became one of the main challenges, and the movie was one of those tools that helped people in that crisis moment. The theaters are opened when the COVID-19 situation gradually normalizes. However, a large section of young students are still used to online platforms. So, through this study, an attempt has been made to see what kind of platform they prefer, what kind of movies they enjoy there, and why. This study followed the survey method with open-ended and close-ended questions. The study focused on students of Khulna University in Bangladesh to identify their preferred online platforms for watching movies and the purposes of using those platforms. By using snowball sampling, the study took 1.25% of respondents for interviews from the population. The findings of the study reveal YouTube as the most preferred platform, followed by Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hoichoi, and others. A specific number of students use other online platforms like Netflix and Amazon by providing subscription costs. The COVID-19 pandemic and long-term lockdown and travel restrictions have been a blessing for online streaming platforms.