2022 LOCAL TV FORECAST
Consulting company BIA is forecasting that local television ad spending will reach $21 billion in 2022, led primarily by political advertisers, as well as legal services, education, health, and leisure & recreation. The 26.5% increase from 2021 is split between linear TV at $19.3 billion (up from 15.1 billion in 2021) and digital TV at $1.7 billion (up from 1.6 billion). With mid-term elections taking place next year, local political ad spending is expected to reach $7.5 billion; with nearly half of that coming from TV (both OTA and digital). (BIA: 10/4/21)
MEASUREMENT
The panel, “The Future of Measurement”, took center stage at last week’s TVB’s Forward 2021 conference. The TVB’s Hadassa Gerber moderated a panel where Nielsen’s COO defended their use of panel data, while Comscore’s CEO supported “big data sets that are further augmented with other data sets” “to ensure that his company has the most correct information to measure viewership.” Expressed agency priorities include automation and pay per performance while the vendor representative described the need for all parties to get on the same page and find a trusted, cross-platform definition of an impression. (NextTV: 9/30/21)
AVOD OPPORTUNITY
At last week’s ARF AudiencexScience conference, presenters noted how CTV is dominating consumer preference and that the advertising potential is still “largely untapped”. Hub Entertainment Research reported that consumers using an ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) service rose from 34% in February 2020 to 58% in February 2021. However, there’s rising concern that viewership “is dependent on advertisers, agencies and platforms taking care to optimize the experience.” Consumers are also experiencing navigation fatigue, with 45% feeling that they using too many services, and 48% concerned about their cost. (Marketing Dive: 9/27/21)
SYNDICATION UPDATE
Jeopardy! is back on top of the syndication pack for the week ending 9/26, tying a repeat of Family Feud with a 5.4 live plus same day national household rating. Feud debuts its new season on Monday. Jeopardy! is hosted by Mayim Bialik, who is expected to stay on until 11/5 when former winner Ken Jennings will take over through the end of the year. Right behind the leaders is Wheel of Fortune at a 5.0 rating. Entertainment News saw stability and growth, with Inside Edition and ET at a 2.3 and 2.2, respectively. And while daytime saw some pre-emptions, in response to coverage of the president’s remarks at the United Nations, Dr. Phil tied with Live with Kelly and Ryan at a .6 among women 25-54, the daypart’s key demo. (B+C: 10/5/21)
WALT DISNEY WORLD AT 50: AN INSIDE LOOK
Good Morning America and host Ginger Zee celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Disney World Resort by exploring some of the newest park attractions. The ABC News meteorologist gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, a rotating “omni-coaster” at Epcot (coming in 2022). At the Magic Kingdom, Ginger takes her boys on the new Ratatouille Adventure and gets a first look at “Harmonious” and “Enchantment” the new nighttime music, light, and fireworks spectaculars. (GMA: 10/6/21)
