• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, Yesterday

“It’s not TV. It’s HBO.” 

That was a daring branding phrase that started in 1996, and immediately became a popular topic for media discussion among viewers, in this regard.

If it’s on TV -- but not TV -- then what is it?

For the most part, this iconic TV brand line kept its wild promise. It delivered major story contrasts between what was on linear TV networks -- for example, top-rated NBC in those years --  with edgy, spicy dialogue from “The Sopranos” or “Sex and the City” and later, “Game of Thrones.”

Of course, "TV" definitions are changing again. Older types may refer to current new technology as "streaming,” but a much younger generation may think of TV as a synonym for the bland word "video."

This includes any content out there, no matter where it plays, and growing social media including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram -- you name it.

A Deloitte survey examined this blurring of boundaries in terms of where video plays for young media consumers. The research showed that 60% of Gen Zers and 44% of millennials spend more time watching video on social media than on streaming services. 

Analysts might say Gen Z and millennial viewers hardly ever use the word "streaming." Going back a ways, you’ll never hear older viewers now say, for example "over-the-air TV."

Worse still for brands buying into streamers to reach Gen Z and Millennials, more than half of young media consumers agree that social media is "more relevant" to their lives, believing they feel closer to “creators” than “actors.” Well, we can see that. 

But video traditionalists shouldn’t give up just yet. Short-form video series -- so-called “micro-drama” or “micro-series” -- are now getting significant audiences from young media consumers -- with 45% watching more of this content vs. a year ago. Micro-drama episodes run between one and three minutes long.

This would go hand and hand with all those quick TikTok, Instagram, and other short social-media video, which may only last 21 to 34 seconds (although some may be as long as three minutes).

What about boomers and more mature adults? No worries. They are just a bit behind.

Remember -- they started out calling it TV for a long time up, in the 1950s through the early 1970s. That’s when "cable" arrived.

Just call it TV, and we’ll all be good.