TV Dominates, But Digital Media Is A Fixture

COMMENTARY

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, Yesterday

On-demand TV -- when you want it TV -- sounds like a growing place we increasingly want to be. Hello Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and the rest. But what about what remains of real live TV? What is that value?

A new study from SmithGeiger, released during the NAB event, says TV viewers are spending an average of 3 hours and 13 minutes per day watching live TV. Live TV is up 26% from last year.

Streaming TV is up as well — 41%, averaging three hours and 15 minutes — some of which overlaps with live TV viewing. The company recently surveyed 1,007 U.S. TV viewers age 18-54 — comprising 87% of all adults — who either watch live TV or stream content on digital devices.

Now, all this would seem to embolden TV analysts that traditional TV  platforms — especially local TV — continue to have a future. Especially when it comes to local TV news.

We are told local TV news programming will have a big future — on traditional linear TV or perhaps more on digital media platforms — because of the value of live TV. Immediacy can be everything to new TV consumers, specifically trust in an age of “fake news.”

And there is this from the study — 53% believe local news programs are their most trusted source of news. But what about the other 47%? We still know that many Americans — around 60% — also get their news from social media, mostly all from Facebook.

Find new ways to determine “trust” and “value” now — and you’ll find your loyal consumers.

At the same time, Facebook has made big headlines recently — and not positive ones, pertaining to “trust.” Despite this, media consumers will continue to use the social network which delivers or distributes news.

And if you don’t think so, just follow the money. Even before privacy-data issues, Facebook has had continued measurement and other problems of concern to marketers.  

Would you think Facebook’s $40 billion-a-year take for some advertisers would be in jeopardy? Not yet.  Facebook’s advertising revenues rose 62% in the first quarter of this year.

If digital media continues to grow — as well as the need for live TV news — figure out where the intersection will be in, say, five or 10 years from now. And then maybe watch it happen live.