Future Trends of Television Marketing

With the promotion of more and more online streaming services, many believe that an end to cable television is upon us. If this was a true statement, why would cable providers like ABC, Fox, NBC, and CBS still be investing in the production of television series? These television programs do not seem to be disappearing but changing the way they market themselves. Below are a list of trends emerging in the media industry:

1. Watching It Live is No Longer a Priority
We're moving into a ever more fast paced world and with that comes little time to make sure you're home at 8 o'clock to watch your favorite show. Television providers responded to this by placing their content across many different platforms. They no longer care where you watch - more important that you watch. People are constantly on their phones, computers, or tablets so why not bring their favorite series to them. Television providers have created On Demand features so that their audiences always have access to their favorite dramas or sitcoms. Along with creating On Demand apps, many providers are allowing their shows to be on streaming sources like Hulu and Netflix. Viewership may no longer be on their network, but their still keeping their audience engaged with on different platforms. Hulu even has next day services for shows on right now and Hulu's merger with Spotify allowing for $4.99 membership for college students will bring in even more viewership.

2. Rise of Producer Branding
The name behind the show is becoming more and more important to makers of television. Having different outlets for watching TV means you're not always aware of who makes the show you're watching. Companies had usually just released shows as individual series without really linking them to their company brand. Think back to shows like The West Wing, General Hospital, or Lost. Do you remember which network made those? In comparison to that think about Game of Thrones or House of Cards. People know that those are from HBO and Netflix. These television producers get recognition because people are more familiar with their brand. If someone sees Netflix Original on a show, they have a tendency to watch it because Netflix has built up a brand for itself of producing binge-worthy content. Network stations are starting to adopting this same stance of branding all their shows together. For example, the CW has their "Dare to Defy" campaign in which they group all of their content under one advertising motto across different platforms.

Works Cited:
http://www.marketingprofs.com/opinions/2016/30769/five-future-trends-in-the-marketing-of-television