This Just In – TV Is Not Dead

With apologies to Mark Twain, the pronouncement regarding the demise of television has been greatly exaggerated. Yes, TV audiences have become increasingly fragmented, and the four major networks no longer dominate as they once did. Ad revenues, historically dependent on auto advertising, have been adversely affected by the recent economic downturn. But the truth remains that television is still reaches huge numbers of viewers and remains a powerful medium for influencing public opinion as well as consumer behavior. TV, both cable and broadcast, has also been undergoing a creative renaissance that is drawing world class writing and production talent. Yes, we still have a “vast wasteland” of ridiculously innocuous programming and inane reality shows.  But we also have brilliantly crafted shows like Mad Men, Treme, The Wire, 24, Lost, CSI, True Blood – to name a few of the great shows that have helped set the standard for great drama. Shows like Real Time with Bill Maher, The Daily Show with John Stewart, The Colbert Report and South Park provide us with intelligent and insightful social satire.  And let’s not forget the powerful insight and analysis that PBS programming such as Frontline and The American Experience continue to provide.

 No one denies the earth is shifting under the major broadcast and cable networks. DVR’s, You Tube and hundreds of other digital platforms provide often compelling alternatives to appointment television. However, great content will always find a way into our entertainment diet and at the moment cable and broadcast television are providing high quality content options that are keeping the medium interesting and viewers tuned in.  TV continues to be the medium of choice for live sporting events and breaking news.  TV content is expensive to produce and revenues will have to keep pace with the cost of production in order to sustain the quality of programming cable and broadcast networks deliver for free. The media landscape is changing, but at the moment TV networks are finding new ways to effectivelycompete for viewers and advertising dollars – mainly by delivering great entertainment value and using digital platforms to offer viewers more ways to engage the medium.

 All advertisers need to have a great digital strategy to drive conversion and acquire new customers. However a great digital strategy should not preclude the effective use of traditional TV advertising when it makes sense.  Need proof? Have you seen Google’s latest TV spots?  Google TV Spot