Posted on 03/15/2015 7:15:25 PM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
February was another heartbreaker for the $65 billion television ad business.
Commercial ratings — the viewing “currency” that determines what advertisers pay for TV time — cratered across broadcast and cable networks, marking the fifth straight month of double-digit declines for the industry.
“It’s clear the downward spiral in TV ratings continues with no end in sight,” media analyst Michael Nathanson wrote in a research note on Friday.
Overall prime-time broadcast network ratings were off 12 percent last month compared to a year ago, while cable networks dropped 11 percent, according to his report.
Nathanson looked at so-called C3 ratings, which come in later than traditional ratings. They measure average commercial viewership in shows up to three days after the original air date via DVR playback.
While a couple of networks that carried the Super Bowl and the Olympics last year clearly suffered because of tougher comparisons, almost every channel was hurting.
Looking at total-day C3 ratings, only three networks boosted their audience: HGTV, Discovery and TBS, while TNT, History and Nickelodeon fell the most.
Typically, TV ad sales executives can increase prices to compensate for a ratings decline, citing scarcity. But Nathanson said seismic changes are pressuring networks to hold the line on pricing.
Although some of the ratings declines can be blamed on changes to Nielsen’s measuring methods, among other changes, “we believe these terrible ratings trends are also indicative of changing viewership habits,” he wrote.
The numbers underscore the rapid changes in how TV viewers are consuming content.
Americans are increasingly watching TV shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon streaming and other services. Some 40 percent of households now have subscription video service, Nielsen reported earlier this week.
Yahoo, Amazon and Hulu are among the bidders for the streaming rights to “Seinfeld” episodes, WSJ.com reported Friday.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I am so disappointed in the History Channel.
For years I was grumpy that I didn’t get it.
I finally do...and they change the format.
My timing has always been cruddy.
Lost, Nowhere Man, check out my post #36. MeTV is one of the stations I get over the air for free.
Pandering to one percent of the population—that will work. /s
Normal, sane people don’t like in-your-face perversion, all the time.
I wonder why? With Survivor, Amazing Road Race, comedies that aren’t funny just vulgar, day long reruns, History Channel with very little that has to do with History, Weather Channel with Prospector reruns, switching shows around from one night to the next so you never know what is going to be showing on what night, The Voice for 3-4 hours on two evenings the reruns of it again later in the week, what’s not to like.
People tried to tell them forever that they better start providing channels that people want instead of forcing them to take 160 channels of garbage at $89/month to get the 3-4 that they really want. The providers just wouldn’t listen. “Can you hear me now?”
Did you notice since Obamacare was rammed through they never rerun what used to be a fairly frequent rerun ... “Logan’s Run?”
Netflix has a lot of shows with the commercials already edited out.
I did the same thing and I’m not looking back now.
I haven’t had a TV since 1996. Raised reasonably successful kids without it. Imagine that!
Oldplayer
TV ping
I was the same with the old SciFi channel (now SyFy).
I would watch something on it nearly every day. Then, they started going to the ‘reality’ stuff. I watched less and less.
Now, I may watch it a couple of times a month.
Add:
8. Big Bureau DC/NY Media installed for United States of Banking, Insurance, and Body Mortgage Care.
9. Big Bureau DC/NY Media installed for 1949 China Govt.
Have not missed it at all, except for NFL football.
In which, I go to a Buffalo Wild Wings, or some other sports bar, on autumn Sundays and see the games that way, with plates of wings and mugs of cold beer.
All in all, I made the right call.
True but only older shows, nothing recent unless they’ve produced it themselves. It is a viable alternative though and becoming more attractive by the month. Have Amazon Prime and it is similar but limited. Recently gave up on Netflix DVD’s due to the slowdown by their shipping department. Now just recording and waiting to see if the show is cancelled before watching...:^)
I'm guessing MeTV is owned by one of the big three stations, and that's just something they broadcast over the air, for free, in my neck of the woods. You just need a $60 digital antenna. It's a pleasant surprise.
I used to watch Hitler documentaries and JFK assassination documentaries for hours on History when I was a child. It’s very rare they show anything historical at all, and when they do, it’s inaccurate and/or hyped up.
TV ratings see double-digit declines for fifth straight month.
With “high-quality” offerings like THIS, expect the slide to continue
NBC — and executive producer Ellen DeGeneres — are back with the flipside, sort of, of a nontraditional family in “One Big Happy,” about a lesbian who decides to have a baby with her straight male bestie.
Weirdly, this is a show that owes more to the 1970s sitcom “Three’s Company” than anything else, if Jack had married Janet and Chrissy preferred girls.
I watch a lot of Fox and HGTV - as well as USA network.
On the basic channels I watch NCIS, like Scandal (I know, a BHO lover created this but I like it anyway), Blacklist.
If I could get Fox and HGTV I’d be good but my husband has to watch Golf and ESPN. So I think I’m stuck for now.
Hey, the TV executives don’t seem to mind offending 2/3rds of the viewers as long as they can get their PC liberal agenda across. I guess it will take their bankruptcy before things change. This is also a major cause for their decline!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.