Johan Bolin, chief product and technology officer, Edgeware looks at how broadcasters can reach out to a lost generation of viewers.
By Contributor
Published: November 26, 2020
Johan Bolin, chief product and technology officer, Edgeware looks at how broadcasters can reach out to a lost generation of viewers.
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Johan Bolin, chief product and technology officer, Edgeware looks at how broadcasters can reach out to a lost generation of viewers.
https://www.tvbeurope.com/media-consumption/tuning-into-tvs-age-gap title=Share via Email class=share-email>
As young audiences are increasingly captivated by digital content, it has become apparent that traditional broadcasters and content owners are facing a challenge of tuning into their viewing habits. Most teenagers and young adults access video content through social media and other online channels - neglecting the formats and platforms offered by traditional TV.
Naturally, viewing habits tend to gradually change across generations. The interests, lifestyle, expectations, and values of today's teens and young adults predominately derive from the digital-first world they were raised in. Consequently, a substantial portion of these young audiences will be seeking digital-first content through digital channels.
This growing trend calls for an adjusted strategy that would allow broadcasters to keep up with younger TV-watching audiences. This would entail expanding their presence on platforms that are popular among this generation, while ensuring the integrity of their well-established and respected brand.
Untangling the generational divide Over the past ten years, the popularity of streaming services has experienced rapid growth, while conventional TV viewing (via public service broadcasters) has halved among under-25s. This shows that in contrast to previous generations, younger TV viewers would rather use an on-the-go device than a remote control to switch on the TV.
The risk that they won't be drawn to traditional TV platforms like older TV viewers is even greater with the growing popularity of online channels provided by tech giants - such as YouTube, Twitch and Facebook - which are creating and hosting enticing video content that resonates with digital-native audiences. As this is an alarming trend for the future of broadcast TV, it's time to consider the viewers that will be tuning into broadcast TV in 25 years' time. Can broadcast TV maintain its roots while staying relevant in the digital world?
Years of trying to compel younger audiences with broadcast TV haven't quite made the grade. One of the solutions employed by the industry so far has been expanding the offering of broadcasters and content owners by creating brand new programming for numerous online platforms and their respective audiences. Although this can improve the relevancy of content across niche target groups, it doesn't prove to be greatly efficient. Adversely, this approach increases the volume of content and the amount of resources needed to fulfil the high demand.
However, it remains crucial for broadcasters to acknowledge the benefits of having both a broadcast and online offering. Matt Hill, a research and planning director at Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK, said that it is unhelpful not to look at TV as a whole when the content is created for and distributed across both broadcast and online channels. This mirrors a significant challenge facing many broadcasters as they work out a strategy that would marry the two together, while aligning their offering and drawing the attention of audiences of all ages to their service and brand.
The current digital climate became food for thought for us at Edgeware. We started brainstorming ways to improve broadcasters' reach and relevancy, eradicating the need for entirely new programming. The goal is to simplify the content production pipeline to make it a lot more manageable, flexible and future-proof, while ensuring younger audiences are given the content they want.
Retuning the reach To ensure brand exposure with the younger demographic, it's worth adapting the format of existing content for each online platform. Broadcasters and content owners can stretch their reach beyond traditional channels by creating streams that publish different live and linear content adaptations on social media.
For years now, broadcasters have been striving to find an efficient and effective way to achieve this. But so far, considering various social media specifications to adhere to and subtitles to be added, duplicating content into numerous formats and then publishing the right format on the right platform has been labour-intensive, costly and time-consuming.
Using channel stitching technology to compose several channels in the streaming domain allows broadcasters and content owners to seamlessly deliver professional-grade TV on social media in a cost-efficient way.
Amplifying the relevance Stepping away from the programming a broadcaster is most known for risks harming its well-established brand. Therefore, coming up with new content ideas can pose a great challenge, even for the savviest broadcasters. Sudden shifts in tone of voice and strategic direction can let loyal audiences down and make it difficult for the new, younger audiences to make the connection that will drive them back to broadcast TV in years to come. To boost their relevancy and eliminate the need to segregate programming per channel, broadcasters can get influencers on board to make the existing content more entrancing.
For example, to get closer to its younger fans, NBA G League shifted its focus from traditional broadcast to the video game streaming platform, Twitch. Streamers can now get creative with their own commentary to
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
08/10/2026
Modern venues have come a long way since the tinny, echoing audio of the mid 20t...
08/10/2026
ESPN's first Super Bowl production will stream in English and Spanish on Disney+, while the ESPN App carries the full slate of game, ManningCast, studio, an...
08/10/2026
From high-school videoboards to War Eagle Productions, the Opelika native is learning how to lead shows and capture big moments
The future of live sports produ...
08/10/2026
The Television Academy and Prime Video have announced a six-year agreement making Prime Video the exclusive global home of the Emmy Awards beginning with the 20...
08/10/2026
Techex will exhibit at NAB Show New York 2026 (Booth 623, Javits Center, October...
08/10/2026
X Games has announced the appointment of Steve Rogers as Chief Operating Officer. Rogers previously served as COO of World Supercross and spent nearly a decade ...
08/10/2026
Fonn Group has appointed Trevor Spielmann as Sales Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Spielmann joins from EVS, where he held sales and business de...
08/10/2026
The flagship program will originate from major PG events with a four-camera production, live distribution across PGTV, social platforms
Perfect Game is bringin...
08/10/2026
Innovation rarely happens in a vacuum. More often, it happens at the point of collision: when worlds that have run on separate tracks begin to converge. That is...
08/10/2026
For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familia...
08/10/2026
Uplynk, Zixi, BroadView Software, and Grass Valley have published The IP Converg...
08/10/2026
The NFL has announced the return of the Big Data Bowl, the league's analytics competition, now in its ninth year and again powered by AWS. Registration is o...
08/10/2026
Eutelsat has renewed its partnership with T l diffusion d'Alg rie (TDA), Algeria's national broadcasting network operator, for continued distribution of...
08/10/2026
Disney will livestream Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027, alongside the game's broadcast on ESPN and ABC. All Disney subscribers in the United States wi...
08/10/2026
RHStv and Red House Streaming have announced an expansion of their partnership w...
08/10/2026
Gray Media has announced a distribution agreement with TEGNA and DAZN to simulca...
08/10/2026
SVG readers can save 10% on registration and receive a complimentary Solutions H...
08/10/2026
PROTON Camera Innovations GmbH has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology a...
08/10/2026
Industry leaders discuss real-world cloud workflows for live game production, pl...
08/10/2026
The next-gen audio technology joins Dolby Vision as part of Apple TV's immersive F1 experience...
08/10/2026
David France, Jesse Short Bull, Mato Wayuhi, N. Bird Runningwater, Jodi Archambau, Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire, Amber Morning Star Byars, Holly Macarro, Nick Tils...
08/10/2026
Dynamic panning plug-ins get an upgrade
Sound Particles have just announced major updates for two of their popular dynamic panning plug-ins. Energy Panner 2...
08/10/2026
New expandable instrument boasts full DMNO engine
UDO Audio have just announced the upcoming release of a new, expandable synth that packs the power of the ...
08/10/2026
Two new subwoofers added to monitoring line-up
ADAM Audio's monitoring range has just been expanded with two new DSP-equipped subwoofers, the Sub8 PRO a...
08/10/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
08/10/2026
Calrec gives broadcasters freedom of choice at NAB Show New York We're looking forward to meeting up with you all at NAB New York on 21st-22nd October.
Cal...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, will showcase its next generation of media orchestration services at NAB S...
08/10/2026
Clear-Com played a critical role in the production communications infrastructure for Rock in Rio 2026, one of the world's largest and most recognized music...
08/10/2026
Sohonet Launches ClearView Rush: A Leap Forward in Studio Review, Built for Crea...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Ikegami announces a major expansion to its range of broadcast-quality live production cameras. Scheduled for introduction on Ikegami booth 708 at NAB New York, ...
08/10/2026
Calrec will be located at Booth 444.
Freedom to choose
The media landscape is evolving quickly, and the broadcasters best placed for what comes next will be...
08/10/2026
LiveU has announced that CRD Audiovisuel relied on LiveUs LU900Q intelligent production unit, with built-in native LiveU IQ (LIQ ) connectivity, to deliver live...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/10/2026
Marshall Electronics, a globally recognized provider of high-performance video solutions for broadcast, streaming, AV and professional production, will exhibit ...
08/10/2026
14-hour package also includes A Remarkable Place to Die season 2 as well as libr...
Johan Bolin, chief product and technology officer, Edgeware looks at how broadcasters can reach out to a lost generation of viewers.
