Is broadcast television back on the rise? Maybe not indefinitely, but at least until the end of February when we all bid farewell to this year’s Winter Olympic Games.
According to an article published by MediaWeek on February 16, 2010, telecasts for this year’s Olympics on NBC have averaged 28.6 million viewers in prime time. To give you a rough idea of what this means, American Idol, one of the highest rated shows on broadcast television will pull approximately 28.8 million viewers during a season finale. Nielson has indicated that this year’s opening was the best since the Lillehammer Games in 1994. We all remember that year now don’t we? I’ll give you a hint…Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding.
Advertisers for this year’s Olympic Games are not only seeing an increase in viewership, but are also seeing a spike in consumer on-line search queries. According to MediaWeek, Google has indicated that brands featured during the opening ceremonies have had significant search spikes. In today’s advertising world, this is the ideal situation for any brand. Advertisers want their traditional broadcast buy to spark interest, and in return, drive consumers to the website for education. For this reason, quality and creativity are equally as important for both your commercial and your website. You must keep the consumer engaged on all aspects.
As a personal “Media Buyer” opinion, I do not necessarily believe that traditional media is dead. However, I do believe that it needs its hand held every once in a while as our industry is evolving.
Let’s go USA!
Posted by Lindsay Reasner, Media Director