20 Aug
American Broadcast Audience Ageing Faster than Population
The median age for viewers at CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox is now 51. So writes David Bauder of Associated Press. In fact, the broadcasters’ audience has aged at twice the rate of the general population. It’s a quiet trend with a real impact on the way they do business. For example, it has an effect on the type of shows which survive. A generation ago, the networks were quicker to cast off shows in favour of something newer and hipper, but are more reluctant now to get rid of something that is successful. For years, these networks sold advertising based on how many people were watching in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic, but that is changing. Advertisers are starting to recognize that older viewers are increasing and that they spend money and are receptive to their messages. Now there are advertising sectors geared to the 50-plus market, and that includes the travel sector. Alan Wurtzel, research chief at NBC warned not to 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.”
