Commentary

Demographics, Entertainment Choices Push TV Everywhere

Analyzing the viewer profile of traditional TV network programming on digital media platforms isn’t as easy as pointing to the profile segment called “millennial.”

CBS All Access, the digital over the top on-demand service, is somewhat like its traditional linear TV network. It serves a broad range of viewers, according to its top executive.

Jim Lanzone, chief digital officer of CBS and CEO of CBS Interactive, says CBS All Access customer base is 30% millennials with an overall average age of in the early 40s range.

Not too bad for CBS -- considering its median age of its traditional linear TV network is just under 60 years ago. The other big three English-speaking networks are a bit lower than that.

Younger digital media platforms for traditional TV programming have been seen as offering a good trend for TV networks that own those efforts: Younger viewers can become long-term customers.

Still, one should also consider entertainment consumers purchasing power. Older TV viewers/consumers generally have more money to spend on things than younger consumers, something that would seem to favor CBS -- and other broadcast networks.

The downside here? Older viewers tend to be set in their consumers buying habit ways. So how does one change, engage, new consumer buying interest, with new advertising clients?

Well, that’s why -- in part -- CBS and its rivals are committed to being everywhere their TV viewers are, meaning all their current and possibly future viewers.

While the overall volume of premium OTT platforms for networks is still in the nascent stage, networks realize it’s a long-term game. Future trending digital media prospects -- advertising and subscriber revenues -- confirm that.

Les Moonves, chairman/CEO of CBS Corp., says in three years, CBS’ goal will be to secure 8 million subscribers in total for CBS All Access and Showtime Anytime, generating $800 million in revenue.

That kind of money probably won’t be defined by age. Young viewers? Older viewers? Go deeper. What specific type of entertainment consumer will be buying in?

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