Television, Brands, and the Pandemic: How Spanish TV Channels Treated the Brands Most Valued for Their CSR During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, the Spanish Government announced a total lockdown of the population and the interruption of all nonessential economic activity. From this point, televisions adapted their programming schedules by reducing their usual informative content, such as sport or economic segments. In this context, it would be reasonable to assume that the overall television coverage devoted to the main Spanish brands would decrease, but what about those considered to be most active in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR)? In this work, we analyze the presence of the Spanish brands that are most valued for their CSR on the four main television channels with the highest audience over the two months of total lockdown, and also in the online press. The study confirms that the television coverage of these brands was not only reduced but was also mostly positive during the pandemic, so it reveals the CSR importance in crisis periods.