That said, reality TV did hit some of the same stumbling blocks as other categories in 2014 -- a sharp decline of 8% in total day gross ratings points. Two of the biggest losers in that category were from A&E, with “Duck Dynasty” down 44% and “Storage Wars” slipping 24%.
If you are a TV network, how much to spend on programming is always an issue, with scripted programming a costly affair. Reality TV comes at a lower price point.
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That said, business metrics may change. TV advertisers and their agencies believe traditional TV messaging is undervalued, that using the right viewing and consumer buying metrics would give the business a boost. At the same time those metrics are moving to targeting buying of audiences, not programming.
And here’s another thing to consider when it comes to reality TV: This genre works really well with the ever-growing social media activity, according to some analysts.
That may push cable networks to alter programming and scheduling choices in a different direction than what we have seen.