• by Steve Sternberg , Featured Columnist, June 8, 2016

At the recent broadcast upfront presentations, we heard a lot about how traditional television was still far superior to digital in reach, overall viewing, and impacting sales. 

A recent edition of The Sternberg Report pointed out that adults spend about 11 times as many hours watching traditional TV as they do watching video on all other platforms combined.

But as the broadcast networks tout themselves as the best advertising vehicles out there, they continue to stubbornly refuse to take their own advice. 

They won't advertise their programming on other broadcast networks.

One of my favorite shows, TNT’s The Last Ship, just returned for a new season.  I would not have been aware of that had TNT not promoted the show on other networks.  The same is true for AMC’s new series Preacher.

Cable networks long ago came to understand that the best way to grow their audience was to appeal to those who were watching similar shows on other networks. 

They also understood that it didn't really hurt them much if other cable networks did the same.  If everyone gained viewers, more advertising dollars would shift from broadcast to cable, and everyone would eventually benefit.

Yet the broadcast networks still stubbornly refuse to see that the reverse is also true.  They will, strangely enough, take advertising from their real competitors – ad-supported cable networks, HBO, Showtime, and even Netflix, but not from one another. 

It is not the 1980s or 1990s.  A broadcast hit on one network actually does benefit all networks.  When an “Empire” takes off, people start believing in the power of network TV again. Except for the very occasional cable phenomenon like “The Walking Dead,” no other platform is currently capable of generating the audience size of a successful broadcast network show.

The broadcast networks are all highlighting their new series’ digital and social media presence leading up to the new season.  That’s all well and good, but they just told us that traditional TV has greater impact.

Why not use it more effectively?

Looking over the new prime-time schedules, there are numerous candidates for cross-network promotion.  CBS’ new medical drama, “Pure Genius” should be promoted on “Grey’s Anatomy.”  Then ABC can promote the new political drama, “Designated Survivor” on “Madam Secretary.” 

There are many other examples across all the broadcast networks.

In what other instance does a company refuse to advertise its product to the largest and most easily measurable audience?

Let's be clear. These aren't just random consumers the broadcast networks are choosing not to pursue.  These are the best possible prospects, viewers the networks know are already watching similar programming.

They are viewers engaged with the exact type of program the networks are trying to promote to them.  I don't know how to say it more clearly.

There is absolutely no question in my mind that if the networks started cross-promoting one another's shows, new series success rates would rise dramatically, and overall broadcast ratings would stabilize, or decline less. 

In my last article for Television Daily News, I opined that networks only care about how they rank, not whether they actually grow their audience – short-term thinking that could lead to long-term disaster.  If they continue to not advertise to their biggest chunk of available viewers, it proves the point.