The Complex Television Media Buy

What to do. What to do. Is television part of your media mix? Make sure you understand the new media landscape. The Complex Television Media Buy When I began my advertising career there were 3 networks. Sounds crazy, right? Today, the landscape is far more complicated and although the majority of Americans are still spending time watching network TV and cable, streaming is fast becoming the way to watch television. Measured in November 2021, according to Nielsen (the company known for measuring usage), 64% of the time spent watching was on network and cable TV. If you break that down even further, cable represents 37% of the viewing versus 27% for network. Streaming, however, is gaining speed, representing 28% of the audience with the anticipation of that rising to 33% by the end of this year. Nearly 7 million American households dropped their traditional pay-TV subscriptions back in 2020! Who dominates the streaming services? Netflix and YouTube, with Hulu coming up as a strong third. The media landscape is complex. Buying television advertising is just not as simple as it used to be. Where do you place your dollars? Network? Cable? Streaming? Today, it might be a combination of all three.