Power To The Elders, Seeking Safety On The Couch
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday June 23, 2008
WHAT a sweet revenge for the over-55s. Once spurned and ignored by the commercial stations - "Let them watch the ABC" was the attitude - they have become the powerbrokers. Their tastes will determine which network wins this year and gets the most advertising in 2009.
Not long ago Channel Ten used to put out press releases boasting how certain programs were "shedding" older viewers, while Nine and Seven proudly declared their target audience to be viewers aged 25-54. There's none of that talk now. The oldies are golden, and not just because there are more of them these days. It is also because they are the first Australians back into their cocoons as uncertainty rises over the economy. And once they have pulled up the drawbridge, the over-55s are more likely to watch television than the under-40s, who have other distractions. For a vision of the future of Australian television, look at the favourite shows of each age group last week. In particular, compare the audience totals across the mainland capitals ... Shows most watched by viewers over 55: Seven news, 849,000 viewers in this age group; ABC news 804,000; Wild China (ABC) 727, 000; Today Tonight (7) 701,000; Sea Patrol (7) 699,000; Silent Witness (ABC) 697,000; Australia's Got Talent (7) 692,000; Border Security (7) 652,000; The Einstein Factor (ABC) 649,000; Nine news 642,000; CSI (9) 633,000.Shows most watched shows by viewers 16-39: The Simpsons (10) 562,000 viewers in this age group; Grey's Anatomy (7) 555,000; NCIS (10) 548,000; Desperate Housewives (7) 533,000; 60 Minutes (9) 487,000; My Name is Earl (7) 486,000; Futurama (10) 483,000; How I Met Your Mother (7) 479,000; Rove (10) 465,000; Good News Week (10) 457,000; Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (9) 455,000.You can see why the oldies are so attractive to the networks. Between 6pm and 10.30pm each night, an average of 1.82 million viewers over 55 watch television (up by 3.5 per cent on last year), compared with an average of 1.40 million viewers aged 16 to 39 (down by 1 per cent on last year).There's not much common ground between the age groups, so best target the niche with the numbers. To win this year, Nine and Seven will need to "skew older". Expect comfy crime shows set in English villages; quirky quiz shows; deserving documentaries about Asian animals and adventurous Aussies; and gardening guides filmed in the backyards of Lisa McCune and Dannii Minogue, the current queens of the senior screen.The only hope for diversity lies with the niche we haven't dissected yet - viewers aged 25-54. They'll be next Monday's topic. For more detail, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald