TV Networks Raise Promo Spend For 2016-2017 Season

by Wayne Friedman , September 23, 2016

Leading into the new season, TV networks have increased their promotional spending for their big TV programming launches.

For the three-week period before and around the start of the new TV season, networks spent -- and/or placed promotional announcements -- valued at $91.3 million from September 1 through 22. That rivals the $68.1 million of a year ago around the same time period, according to iSpot.tv.

This year, some 147 different TV brands -- shows, networks, TV platforms -- have placed media.

Fox has placed a promotional media value/media spend of $16.2 million, followed by PlayStation Vue, $14.4 million; NBC, $9.2 million; ABC, $8.0 million; NFL Network. $6.4 million; and CBS $3.2 million.

Some of the biggest individual TV shows when it comes to promotion include Fox’s “Lethal Weapon” at $3.2 million; ABC’s “Notorious” at $2.5 million; and Fox’s “Pitch,” $2.1 million. Many big TV promotion of shows has been in high-rated sports TV programming including NFL and college football.

Some 134 individual TV brands -- networks or TV shows -- were run for the start of the 2015-2016 TV season. Fox was the big player a year ago, with a media value of $10.3 million, ABC was next at $9.4 million; NBC, $6.0 million; CBS, $3.8 million; and HBO, $3.9 million.

Biggest promotional efforts a year ago included ABC’s “The Muppets” at $3.1 million; FX Network’s“The Bastard Executioner,” $2.3 million; and NBC’s “Blindspot” at $1.8 million.

broadcast networks, promotion, telecom, tv

2 comments about "TV Networks Raise Promo Spend For 2016-2017 Season".

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charles bachrach from BCCLTD, September 23, 2016 at 11:56 a.m.
There are now more promos, "stay tuned" and advertising than actual program content. Broadcast
television is FAILING the public and other methods of viewing are and will continue to increase. The
networks have egoslarger than than respective coverage areas!!
Charles Bachrach
Summerlin NV
Reply

Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, September 23, 2016 at 7:17 p.m.

Charles, while it is true that some cable channels go in very heavily for promotional spots, taking TV in general and the broadcast networks and stations in particular you will find that program content still represents about 65-70% of their content and this average includes daytime and fringe evening which are very heavily commercialized. The figure for primetime is considerably lower than the average. Also, if you weight the ad and promo "load" by the amount of viewing in the daypart or to the program genre, the proportion that is content rises.

Like everyone else, I am often frustrated by the amount of non- program content I encounter on certain channels and in non-prime time periods---the cable news channels are prime examples of this. My solution is to watch something else more often. But it's not fair to tar all of TV with the same brush.