THIRD ANNUAL SCREENS ISSUE - MediaPost

source: nielsen
UPFRONT
The TV
Report
Card
What programmers learned about comedy,
drama, news, sports and reality so far this
year, and what that it means for the coming
upfront season BY SARAH MAHONEY
Between on-demand viewing, proliferating screens and everfragmenting
audiences, we’re aware of just how frequently
TV gets dissed as a dinosaur medium from a different age. Of
course, that’s true enough. But it’s also true that 290 million
of us spend billions of minutes each month sitting in front of
that TVasaurus, and this time of year, our eyes get misty. Yes,
it’s spring, which means that in the weeks and months ahead,
* The 2010-2011 season includes the viewership data for the period 9.20.10 – 8.28.11
The data for 2001 – 2009 includes viewership data for the full September – September TV season.
* Data is based on live+7
TV programmers will pull back the curtain, giving us a peek at
what’s to come. In these heady days of anticipation, we get to
imagine unexpected wonders.
And we do know it’s also the season of heartbreak. Some
drama can be counted on: This year, we have the presidential
election, fueled by as much as $5 billion in Super PAC ad
spending, which experts say is likely to turn our TV sets into
a modern version of the Roman Coliseum. And there are the
London Olympics. Inevitably, though, the best dramas will be the
ones we never hear about, with brilliant shows canceled before
the pilot even airs, or unbelievable programming emerging after
wacky focus groups as TV execs shake their head in disbelief,
only to watch that program turn into this year’s Swamp People.
And while the decisions that shape the upfront season
may seem capricious, they have real impact. Back in 2001, for
example, reality programming accounted for just 22.4 percent
of programming and peaked at 77.3 percent. Last year, it was
up again, as was sports coverage, and — perhaps thanks to
the Arab Spring — news programming.
In that spirit of expectation, we asked some of our favorite
writers to grade how well drama, comedy, news, sports and
reality did last year, as well as make a few predictions about the
season to come. Who knows? Maybe if we wish hard enough,
this will be the season for Real Housewives of Downton Abbey.
SHIFTING TV REALITY
In the last 10 years, America’s TV preferences favored reality over comedy. Today, the momentum is shifting back.
KEY: • Reality • General Drama • Sitcom • Sports
185M 197M 202M 199M 200M 202M 196M
9.2%
8.7% 8.3% 8.2% 8.1% 8.4%
8.1%
38.9%
17.2%
9.2%
26.5%
36.3%
42.8%
23.0%
14.6%
11.0%
68.6%
77.3%
29.5%
22.4%
‘01 – ‘02
SEASON
63.1%
‘02– ‘03
SEASON
55.9%
‘03 – ‘04
SEASON
55.5%
‘04– ‘05
SEASON
49.1%
‘05 – ‘06
SEASON *
‘06 – ‘07
SEASON *
‘07– ‘08
SEASON *
180M 175M
9.4%
7.4%
32.8%
50.4%
‘08 – ‘09
SEASON *
19.4%
32.7%
47.9%
‘09– ‘10
SEASON *
187M
20.0%
23.6%
56.4%
‘10 – ‘11
SEASON *
TO DATE
Spring 2012 MEDIA MAGAZINE 11