Summary
Yes, TV provides advertisers "critical mass" necessary for broad immediate reach. Yes, TV is the only medium with the ability to reach 50%+ of any given demographic. These two "yesses" will continue to change and evolve in 2009 and beyond.
Analysis
The TV industry along with all mediums is feeling the current economic downturn. While nothing new, TV's ability to adapt and change is commendable, I'm sure newspaer execs wish they were in a similar position.
As previously stated, TV is unique in its ability to deliever critical mass (50%+) immediately. What's of greater importance to advertisers is how this audience will cume and aggregate in the next couple of years. The medium is still the message but how its delivered will vary based on messaging and desired target audience. We saw traditional broadcast evolve into niche prgramming with the advent of cable TV, that's really old news when you factor in online video and the many ways it's being consumed of late. Let's understand that viewers now decide what's must see TV for them and when they wish to view it. It goes way beyond DVR penetration and set-top boxes, mobile media consumption will only increase as it becomes more accessible. It's important to keep in mind TV consumption will continue to increase as technology enables viewers to view selectively in terms of content and time. And we thought it was a big deal when CBS started streaming NCAA basketball so office workers could view the games. While that's a fairly recent phenomenom it's really old news by today's standards. The shape and size of the TV screen is changing, the ability to connect with viewers 24/7 will fuel TV's growth over the next few years.
