Viewers have fled primetime lineups for streaming outlets, with one notable exception: people over 60. In the most recent network television season, which ended in May, the median viewer was older than 60 for most entertainment shows, including Young Sheldon (“65+,” the highest range that Nielsen provides).
Modern Family viewers score highest in median household income, followed by new drama Designated Survivor. In all, ABC has six of the top eight programs.
It’s a new TV season, but the first week’s ratings indicate that the networks will be facing what has become the same old problem with younger viewers. During premiere week for the 2016-17 season, overall primetime TV usage was off around 7% among the 18-34 age group compared with a year ago.
Though time spent varies, their media usage patterns are nearly identical. They’re using more multimedia devices and watching more mobile video while listening to less radio.
While most demographics are relatively flat in the Nielsen Universe Estimate Report for 2016 versus the same period a year ago, those 65 and older witnessed an increase. Those 65 and older now account for 40 persons out of 100 TV homes — up from 38 out of 100 a year ago.
TRAC Media Services is starting a deep dive into the demographics of local public television audiences with software that reveals details previously unseen by station programmers and general managers. With a one-year $369,000 grant from CPB, the Tucson, Ariz.–based researcher is examining public TV’s minority audiences, viewers by dayparts and digital-channel cumes.
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Market Data Key For Mapping Your Future
Demographic trends can be inexorable, with impacts that are powerful and long-lasting. Media companies need to monitor such trends to better understand the populations they serve, and how they are changing. In addition to the role market data can play as part of programming acquisition and network affiliation decisions, market trends factor into the valuation of a station that is being purchased or is part of an asset exchange.
Social TV has turned watching TV into an interactive experience — an experience that connects viewers in the moment with friends, content creators, stars, and likeminded — or not so likeminded — fans. But, who are these viewers that are tweeting about TV? And, who’s seeing their Tweets? With the launch of demographics for Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings, we now know.
17% Of YouTube Users Watch Less TV
YouTube is having a measurable impact on TV consumption, with nearly one fifth (19%) of YouTube users saying they pay less attention to TV and 17% stating that they watch TV less overall.
Step aside, 18-to-49-year-olds. Now that the median TV viewer is 54, broadcast networks are reworking lineups and rethinking ad strategies.
The median age for the Big Four networks is up 0.6 years this fall, to 53.9, the oldest ever. Only ABC is down from last year. Fox is finally nearing 50.
What do the wealthy young people watch? Apparently, a lot of Modern Family, Big Bang Theory and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Counting the first three weeks of the fall TV season, those are the top-rated broadcast shows among upscale young adults. In this context, “upscale young adults” are people in the key 18-49 age demographic in homes with a yearly income of $100,000 or more.
After one week of the new season, TV viewers are skewing slightly older for the broadcast networks versus a year ago. The median age for the five English-language broadcast networks is now 53.4 years — up from 53.
When it comes to primetime non-sports programming so far this season, ABC leads in the 18-49 TV currency that matters most to advertisers — as well as getting top numbers when it comes to upscale viewers.
