TV’s Attention Divide Is Getting Wider

While there was no shortage of wisdom being slung around at GABBCON’s Los Angeles Television and Internet Week conference last week, the most telling comment I heard from the stage was this (and I’m paraphrasing): “There will be two types of TV— one that is a commodity and mostly sold on programmatic and one that is more curated, where brands are looking for unique consumer experiences and behaviors”.

That was a fairly advertiser-centric way to look at the great bifurcation, but it’s on point: TV is rapidly turning into a two-tier collection of “shows we pay close attention to” and “shows we have on as background noise.”

Now this has, at some level, always been the case. There were always shows we made sure we were home in time to watch and others we just turned on to break the silence.

But the advent of streaming and the acceleration of behaviors like binge viewing has made this divide more prominent.

We can see it in ABC joining Fox in giving up on live + same day ratings last week—multiplatform +35 viewership of hit ABC shows like Grey’s Anatomy is close to double its live +7 day viewership, which indicates that viewers aren’t even trying to catch up to live anymore—they’re saving their favorite shows and bingeing them, regardless of whether those shows are on streaming services or on broadcast TV.

(For the most part: shows like Game of Thrones were able to attract a considerable live or same day audience, but they are the exception rather than the rule.) 

At the same time, we are seeing an increase in the types of shows that don’t need our full attention, whether it’s reruns of Friends on Netflix, classic 80s movies on the FASTS (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV Services) or reality and non-fiction programming on broadcast and cable.

Therefore, it’s not hard to see two complementary ad experiences arising as well. For shows where people are paying close attention and may be annoyed by traditional interruptive advertising, advertisers are looking at more carefully crafted, unique experiences that are designed for viewers of that specific show or network. They are less about interruption for interruption’s sake and more about creating something that lets viewers know the brand is aware of the show and why the viewer is watching it, and, most important, that the brand is trying to be a part of that experience.

The other type of programming however, may be a bigger opportunity for advertisers. If the viewer isn’t highly engaged with what they are watching, then a commercial may be a welcome break and possibly more interesting than the actual show. Similarly, pausing the show to go visit a website will not be as big an ask. That can result in more leads and, if the ad is targeted correctly, more sales.

That’s why automated buying is going to be so important for those types of buys: by putting the right ads in front of the right audiences at the right times, brands will be able to see a real increase in ROI. 

“Creating automated buys doesn’t mean the seller is giving up control,” notes Shereta Williams, President of Videa. “It means that they can actually devote more time to creating the sort of custom experiences around their most popular shows and calling on potential new customers, while still ensuring that advertisers are getting the most value from their inventory. That’s a win all around.”