I think NBC might be the better example: they run populist claptrap
like America's Got Talent or Minute to Win It on the mothership, which
is guaranteed to lure in the older viewers who think "Guy from the
Food Network is just so darling" but will feel like an episode of
Lawrence Welk to anyone under 30, while the stuff that could attract
the younger viewers to the network is either deemed 'niche' ("Eureka",
"BSG") or 'too edgy for the network' (anything USA airs after 9
eastern). Stuff that COULD attract younger viewers to the network
("Chuck") is held back until mid-season or given a terrible timeslot.
On Aug 17, 1:03 pm, Ron Casalotti <[email protected]> wrote:
> So the question will be: will advertisers adjust their sites to an
> older demographic, or continue to chase the smaller, younger audience?
>
> From Thomas Cott (You've Cott Mail newsletter):
> For years, [TV] executives essentially stopped caring about television
> viewers once they had reached 50 years old. You don't hear that much
> anymore. The median age for viewers at ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC is now
> 51. The broadcasters' audience has aged at twice the rate of the
> general population during the past two decades, according to a new
> report. It's a quiet trend with a real impact on the way they do
> business. The risk in having a rapidly aging audience is the networks
> becoming less relevant to advertisers, the backbone of their
> business. Increasingly, that's a way of thinking that itself is
> getting old. A generation ago, the networks were more quick to cast
> off shows in favor of something newer and hipper, but are more
> reluctant now to get rid of something that's showing success. Most
> new shows fail, so the financial risk is too great if it isn't really
> necessary. "Dancing With the Stars," with a median audience age of
> 60, is the most popular series on ABC's schedule. The median age of
> the "American Idol" audience has jumped from 36 to 44 over the past
> seven seasons. A young audience has always been the holy grail for
> networks, but that's changing, said Alan Wurtzel, research chief at
> NBC. Not only are more older viewers available, advertisers are
> starting to recognize that they spend money and are receptive to their
> messages. "Don't discount people who are in their 50s and 60s. They
> buy iPads," Wurtzel said. "They're online. The reality is these are
> the people who have the money."
>
> FULL ARTICLE:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100816/ap_en_tv/us_tv_older_networks
>
> Ron Casalotti
> Wayne, NJ
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