Commentary

Why Reality TV May Continue To Grow In The Coming Years

Taking a look at recent MoffettNathanson research on cable programming, one of the best-performing categories in the last five years has been “non-fiction” programming. Over that period, total day gross ratings points -- commercial ratings (C3) among 18-49 viewers -- grew 1%. All this while the likes of news, general entertainment, and kids programming sank anywhere from 5% to 7%.

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.

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