RETAIL ENDED THE YEAR STRONG

In advance of their “Big Show” event next week, the National Retail Federation has released some preliminary data on how 2024 fared. Consumer spending on goods and services increased by 5.5%. Core retail sales—which exclude cars, gas, and restaurants—saw a 4% increase. This doesn’t include December, which is expected to show holiday growth between 2.5 and 3.5 percent. The figures don’t factor in inflation, but show that consumer confidence is improving. The University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index grew by 3.1% in December, its fifth consecutive monthly increase and the highest it’s been since last April. (NRF: Jan 8, 2025)

CTV TO GROW IN 2025, BUT LINEAR’S STILL ON TOP

CTV companies are expected to have a banner 2025… with some caveats. eMarketer predicts that by the end of the year, nine streaming services will see ad revenue reach $1 billion and CTV will represent an average of 20% of daily media time for adults nationwide. The cloud surrounding that silver lining? Despite accounting for one-fifth of all viewing, CTV is only expected to drive 8% of total ad spend. Supply still outpaces demand, especially with Amazon Prime Video having incorporated ads a year ago, which is keeping CPMs lower than the platforms would like. The winner in all of this is Linear TV, which continues to dwarf streamers—by nearly six times as many impressions. Nuts-and-bolts views are still important in the streaming age.  (adexchanger: Jan 3, 2025)

GOLDEN GLOBES: UP… OR MAYBE SLIGHTLY DOWN

According to Nielsen, CBS’ broadcast of The Golden Globes dipped slightly, delivering 9.3 million viewers versus last year’s 9.4. It’s a decrease of just two percent, which is pretty good considering how poorly reviewed the 2024 telecast was. CBS owner Paramount, on the other hand, has reported viewership of 10.1 million. Their figures come from VideoAmp, as Paramount has not yet resolved its contract dispute with Nielsen and cannot access their data. Regardless of which number you use, it’s an impressive performance, given that the Globes competed against NBC’s Sunday Night Football, which delivered its best season finale tune-in (28.5 million viewers) since 2012.  (Hollywood Reporter and Variety: Jan 6, 2025)

IN WAKE OF META CHANGES, LOCAL NEWS IS ESSENTIAL

Now that Meta has ceased its already iffy fact-checking program and adopted a weaker “community notes” function, actual facts are an even more precious commodity. As the (as of this writing) ongoing Los Angeles wildfires have shown, local news outlets can be relied upon for trusted information. And it’s not just in emergencies—viewers turn to their new teams for the straight story on regional and national politics, community affairs, and other topics relevant to their lives, free of mis and disinformation. As the NAB puts it: local stations “provide the kind of accountability and accuracy that Big Tech platforms simply cannot match.” (NAB: Jan 8, 2025)

THIS WEEK IN VIDEO HISTORY

January 6-8, 1996 – The Blizzard of ’96 Another instance of local news being there for residents during a natural crisis: News teams in the Northeast worked around the clock to cover the massive snowfall that paralyzed the Tri-State area and beyond. Technically, it was a nor’easter and not a blizzard (it didn’t have the required three hours of sustained 35+ mph wind gusts), but that’s how it felt, and that’s what we call it to this day. Check out this coverage from the WABC7 news team, led by the late, great Bill Beutel.