http://newteevee.com/2009/08/28/network-audiences-put-the-old-in-oldteevee/
Written by Chris Albrecht
Posted Friday, August 28, 2009 at 8:15 AM PT
Network Audiences Put the “Old” in Oldteevee
The audience for live broadcast TV is older than ever. According to
new research from Magna Global, the median ages for CBS, ABC and NBC
are expected to be over 50 years old this fall (via Variety).
For the just-completed season, the major broadcasters were already
hovering around the half-century mark for live viewing. CBS was oldest
with a median age of 55, ABC was at 51, NBC was at 49, FOX was at 46,
and The CW was the baby of the bunch at 34.
The silver lining to the networks’ grey hair is that their DVR
playback audiences are much younger, with a median age of 40 years
old. But when factoring in DVR usage, the networks’ median ages only
dip slightly, with CBS at 54, ABC at 50, NBC at 47, FOX at 44 and the
CW at 33. Robert Seidman over at TV by the Numbers explains why DVRs
don’t have a bigger impact:
DVR viewers for major broadcasters have much lower median ages,
but because DVR viewing isn’t a very high percentage of overall
viewing, it doesn’t change the median age too much. Remember, repeats
make up a significant portion of what’s broadcast and repeats don’t
get much DVR action.
Variety reports that live audiences for networks are aging because
except for some shows, like American Idol, there really isn’t a lot of
fare for the younger set. The decline of comedy on the networks along
with the rise of procedural dramas and older-skewing competitions like
Dancing with the Stars are helping bring in the olds.
While the broadcasters age, cable network TV, on the other hand, is
getting all Benjamin Button. The median age for TBS is 35 (down from
38 two years ago) and TNT is at 44 (down from 46). USA and FX,
meanwhile, have held their youth at 46 and 37, respectively.
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