Not long ago, I was asked to speak to a business group about the television ecosystem and how it's changing.
I was thrilled. To me-a media professional-I couldn't wait to give my speech. After all, the TV industry seems to be in the news every day. All sorts of things are changing, from how and where people watch, to how it's being sold to advertisers, to why younger viewers are cutting the cable cord and to how older viewers are complaining they can't figure out how to use the latest remote.
So I made my speech-but as I progressed through it, I realized I had made the classic mistake of assuming everyone in the audience had been following TV's changes the way we in the media industry have. I needed a better way to keep my audience's attention.
Fortunately for me, I had stumbled on a way to explain today's TV landscape after I happened to visit the Griffith Park Observatory.
Broadcast and cable television can be compared to our solar system. But in our media solar system,' the viewers are the sun, and for a long time the broadcast television channels were the planets. And there weren't too many of them, so just about everyone was familiar with them-ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, as well as a few independents. We tuned in to watch our favorite shows at pre-set times, Nielsen figured out how many viewers watched, and that was our currency.
But then came the first television Big Bang: the astrophysicists of the media business expanded our solar system by creating hundreds of national cable networks; think of it as television's asteroid belt. A lot of those asteroids were small but boy, were they interesting. And definitely worth exploring.
Of course, science and technology never stops reaching for the stars literally. Thanks to satellite and telecoms, our telescopes got more powerful and we were able to reach beyond our solar system into an ever-larger galaxy of channels and programming.
But that was just the beginning. A few years back, the industry discovered the equivalent of Warp Drive: streaming television. Hulu, Amazon, YouTube and Netflix took us to where no person had gone before -the outer reaches of the known universe. And those entities are now being joined by HBO and CBS, which in 2015 will be offering their programming to consumers on a streaming basis.
What this all means: viewers will have more choices than ever before about not just what to watch but where and when to watch it. Viewers are no longer just the center of the solar system; they are the center of the universe, and they are in control.
It took a while before the western world realized the world wasn't flat. But once that happened, exploration began and it hasn't stopped since. As media professionals, we should look at the media universe the same way the scientists look at the cosmos. They've sent rovers to Mars and exploratory vessels to the rings of Saturn and beyond. Like those scientists, we need to explore the ever-expanding video universe to get a better understanding of viewer dynamics than we have now because it's all about data.
As marketers, we need to rethink our traditional models of tune-in and viewership, as traditional schedules will be thrown out the window. As a first step, our TV buyers need to evolve into video buyers. This doesn't just mean a job title change; it requires a new mindset, new information sources and new skill sets.
While 80% of TV viewership and more than 60% of primetime viewership is still live, there is no doubt that those numbers will shrink in the coming years. But we should not be forced to face this evolution; rather we must celebrate it and get ahead of it.
The greatest challenge we face today is that the conventional ways of measuring audiences must change. We need to be able to measure consumer engagement across all platforms simultaneously to gain a complete understanding of the cosmos we now operate in. We must broaden the way we think, redefine job roles, educate our staff and involve our clients in ways we never did before. And we had best do it fast. As Leo Burnett said nearly 80 years ago, we must reach for the stars. Except now, we mean it literally!
Rosenberg, who has spearheaded the growth of Horizon Media's Los Angeles office for the past 13 years, is responsible for increasing the agency's core business, as well as that of its specialty divisions-Scout Sports and Event Marketing, Direct Marketing, Eden Road Trading and Columbus Media International, Horizon's international agency network.
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
31/05/2024
A U.S. Marine fires an FIM-92 Stinger missile during a training exercise in Yuma...
31/05/2024
NEW YORK The global body that sets technical standards for digital advertising h...
31/05/2024
In a new analysis of what services might make up a good bundle and what services might benefit the most from bundling, Antenna has released new data that highli...
31/05/2024
Global SVOD revenues will increase by $116.6 billion by 2031, a growth rate of 13.3% per year over the next eight years, according to a new report from MIDiA Re...
31/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The FCC Media Bureau has announced that effective August 1, 2024 the Commission's TVStudy software will incorporate the most recent U.S. Ce...
31/05/2024
NBCUniversal has announced that its FAST channel TNBC will be rebranding to NBC Comedy Vault on June 1 and that the free streaming service will officially launc...
31/05/2024
PARIS Ateme has announced that the Indonesian public broadcaster TVRI is making the transition to 4K UHD OTT streaming using Ateme technologies....
31/05/2024
The proposal had received support from James Cameron, Andy Serkis, Paul Greengrass, Richard Curtis, and Jeremy Irons
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: May 31, 2...
31/05/2024
According to multiple reports, the new bid from Skydance offers a better deal to Paramounts Class B shareholders, who were said to be unhappy with the companys ...
31/05/2024
The awards recognise women and companies who are stand-out performers, innovators and leaders in the broadcast media technology industry
By Matthew Corrigan
...
31/05/2024
NEW YORK The global body that sets technical standards for digital advertising has expanded the reach of its measurement software development kit to include Sam...
31/05/2024
The rise of digital platforms is fundamentally changing the broadcast newsroom and its investment in technology according to Jon Roberts, director of technology...
31/05/2024
In a new analysis of what services might make up a good bundle and what services might benefit the most from bundling, Antenna has released new data that highli...
31/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. Fifty state broadcasters associations, including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, have sent a letter to Congressio...
31/05/2024
EVS has announced the appointment of Richard Katz as senior vice president of operations for the North and Latin American (NALA) region. This appointment is par...
31/05/2024
CommScope has announced that it was selected by Casa Systems, Inc. as the highest to acquire Casa's cable business assets and that the two companies have en...
31/05/2024
Robert De Niro won't be receiving the Service to America Leadership Award from the NAB Leadership Foundation after all....
31/05/2024
Viant Technology said it formed an integration with Google Cloud's BigQuery data clean rooms...
31/05/2024
The CW said it will broadcast the 2024 Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop Last year, The CW aired the game when it was called Bar...
31/05/2024
Allen Media Group said it made a deal with Amazon's Fire TV Channel that will make content from several of Allen's outlet available via Fire TV and Echo...
31/05/2024
Robert De Niro, announced as the winner of the NAB's Leadership Foundation's Service to America Leadership Award on May 28, will not get the award. The ...
31/05/2024
Comcast Technology Solutions was selected by AccuWeather to create, manage and distribute linear and over-the-top video channels....
31/05/2024
Connected TV is becoming a bigger deal for consumers and advertisers, according to a new report from TVision....
31/05/2024
31 May 2024
VEON discloses April YTD trading update at its AGM Amsterdam, 31 May 2024 07:00 CEST -
VEON April YTD 2024 Highlights
Total revenue of USD 1,278 ...
31/05/2024
31 May 2024
VEON Announces Its New Board, Names Founder Augie Fabela as Chairman Amsterdam, 31 May 2024, 16.00 CET: VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam...
31/05/2024
May 31st, 2024
TRIBECA FESTIVAL AND OPEN AI ANNOUNCE SORA SHORTS'
Five Commissioned Short Films Created Using Sora Debut at 2024 Tribeca Festival
New ...
31/05/2024
In-Venue Technology Wrap-Up: How 4K, IP, and More are Changing the Game Pres Gam...
31/05/2024
UEFA Champions League Final 2024: The host broadcast facts and figures for Real ...
31/05/2024
UEFA Europa Conference League Final 2024: Bringing the broadcast to global TV sc...
31/05/2024
Willow Offers Free 2024 ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Preview via DirecTV, Verizon, ...
31/05/2024
Women's College World Series: ESPN Brings Live Drone, Two-Point Cabled, and ...
31/05/2024
SVG College Summit Brings Video-Production Industry Together in Atlanta in the M...
31/05/2024
UEFA Champions League Final 2024: CBS Sports' UCL Today Studio Show Is Pitch...
31/05/2024
Back to All News
Master of the House' Unveils a Scandalous Tale of Power and Greed on July 18
Entertainment
31 May 2024
GlobalThailand
Link copied to ...
31/05/2024
Back to All News
JEEtu Bhaiya is Back: Kota Factory' Season 3 Arrives on Netflix June 20
Entertainment
31 May 2024
GlobalIndia
Link copied to clipboar...
31/05/2024
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
With around 9,000 employees, Ground Transportation Systems is a global leader in Rail Signaling and Train Control Systems, Telec...
31/05/2024
RT 2FM is the home of music this summer, entertaining listeners across the day and night, with the best music, chat and interviews providing the soundtrack to ...
31/05/2024
After the 2008 financial crisis and increased risk-management regulations that f...
31/05/2024
RT Supporting the Arts: What's On this June
Watch our promo: RT Supporting the Arts | What's on YouTube
This June, RT is delighted to support Lim...
30/05/2024
When to Upgrade Software or Firmware This post is from our blog and news archive. The information may be out of date. Please contact us for further information ...
30/05/2024
The City of San Jose Chooses Utah Scientific Again! This post is from our blog and news archive. The information may be out of date. Please contact us for furth...
30/05/2024
Navigating Strategy, Ethics, and Innovation in the evolving European media lands...
30/05/2024
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
30/05/2024
Tickets are now available for the first-of-its-kind event in the United States f...
30/05/2024
Mental health and well-being are fundamental components of a child's healthy...
30/05/2024
After 64 days, the winner of Alone Australia has been revealed
29 May, 2024
Media releases
*Contains Spoilers*
After 64 days alone in the extreme and wild...
30/05/2024
Alone Australia finale delivers strongly as SBS confirms it will join VOZ stream...
Not long ago, I was asked to speak to a business group about the television ecosystem and how it's changing. 
