Youth Sells, Until It Doesn't: AARP Study Calls Out Media's Age Blind Spot

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For an industry that prides itself on “audience-first” decision-making, the media business has a remarkably persistent blind spot: age.

A new study from AARP suggests that Hollywood’s long-standing youth obsession (now reinforced by algorithms, AI-assisted development tools and risk-averse commissioning models) is increasingly out of step with what audiences actually want to watch. And for advertisers chasing incremental reach and relevance, that disconnect may be leaving money on the table.