In 2022, attracting TV viewers is a growing challenge, as audiences are increasingly consuming entertainment through mobile devices, OTT services, connected TVs and free ad-supported channels. At the same time, with TV and digital converging, advertisers have more options to reach consumers by being adjacent to more curated and culturally relevant content. In a landscape of difficulties, advertisers are finding success through rethinking their traditional tools.

State of primetime TV

In the U.S., traditional broadcast and cable TV audiences are shrinking while digital long-form and social media viewing is growing, according to new research from Omdia. This has proven especially challenging for primetime TV, which historically attracted the largest audiences and advertisers.

“The lack of ratings or diminishing return of power within the traditional primetime universe has affected our industry in a multitude of ways,” said Jesse Judelman, senior vice president of sales, Americas at Vevo.

“As recently as 15–20 years ago, a marketer’s job really started with the three big networks, and you were covering more than half the U.S. population right there,” Judelman added. “Today, there is no place to go where half of the entire population is taken care of within a classical sight, sound and motion-controlled advertising environment.”

In another sign that primetime TV is shifting in status, multiple media outlets have reported that NBC is considering moving its 10 p.m. primetime programming hour to local affiliates. Although the earliest this change would be implemented, if at all, is fall 2023, it would be a turning point for the Big Three. Along with NBC, broadcast networks ABC and CBS have offered at least three hours of national primetime programming for decades.

Consumption habits are shifting to anytime viewing

Instead, primetime is shifting to anytime viewing as audiences, especially younger audiences, increasingly consume content from more platforms throughout the day. According to a Vevo and Publicis Media study, “The State Of Video Consumption,” content consumption varies significantly from hour to hour. The mornings are subject to more passive discovery, while as the day goes on, viewers have more intent behind what they choose to watch and where they watch it. Although TV viewing still peaks at night, viewers are noticeably missing on broadcast and cable, yet pervasive on CTV and FAST networks.

FAST channels offer consumers content tailored to specific tastes versus the mass market channels found on traditional broadcast TV. This leaves viewers with more options to experience curated programming.

“As television audiences become more fragmented, it really opens up the entire advertising ecosystem to consider new ways to operate tomorrow,” Judelman said. “It’s infinitely more complex today than it was yesterday.”

While television, in its various forms, has long had the ability to reach mass audiences, CTV has its own merits that …read more

Source:: Digiday

Author: Aaron