Television Networks are facing brand recognition challenges based on the latest Fall TV Sentiment Survey conducted by Strata, a system provider that connects media buyers and sellers.
Viewers cannot identify TV network
The survey found that a significant portion of viewers cannot identify which TV networks are broadcast ing their favorite shows. For example, only 76% NCIS fans and 63% of How I Met Your Mother fans know that both shows belong to CBS. On the other hand, only 56% of the viewers of Modern Family identified ABC as the home of the show.
The viewers of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (89%) and Sons of Anarchy (94%) accurately identified that ABC and FX channels are broadcasting the TV programs, respectively.
Viewers believe that CBS and NBC are the top two channels with the best new programming, ABC came in third, while FOX and AMC ranked fourth and fifth respectively, according to the survey.
Real sentiment of the audience
The survey also found that traditional viewership and ratings data does not actually represent the real sentiment of the audience. As an example, 13.3 million viewers watched the premiere of the The Millers, a new program of CBS. However, only 3% of the respondents who watched the show said it was their favorite new show.
On the other hand, only 15% of the respondents said The Blacklist from NBC is their favorite new show. Take note that the show had 12.6 million viewers during its premiere, lower than the 13.3 million viewers of The Millers. Although the new program from CBS had higher ratings during its premier, the number of people who really like it is less.
Another example is the prime time competition between the premieres of The Michael J. Fox Show and The Crazy Ones on Sept. 29. On that night, there were 15.6 million viewers who watched The Crazy Ones, while 7.5 million viewers tuned in to The Michael J. Fox Show. However, the survey found that only 4% of the respondents picked The Crazy Ones as their favorite new show, compared with the 11% of viewers who chose The Michael J. Fox Show.
The survey also found that 13% of the respondents consider The Big Bang Theory as their favorite when asked to choose between new and established programs. It is interesting to note that not a single person picked The Crazy Ones.
Mike McHugh on TV ratings
Mike McHugh, vice president of Strata said, “The sentiment survey indicates that ratings are not telling the full story. It is important for advertisers to look beyond ratings and consider sentiment and viewing habits. Advertisers might want to consider sentiment just like they take demographic data into consideration in ad planning and buying.”
The survey also found that 60% of women watch the premiere of a series based on the suggestion of their friends. Women apprently do not mind watching blood and zombies. The Walking Dead and Sons of Anarchy have 50% and 59% female audience, respectively.
Strata surveyed 533 TV adult viewers ages 18 or older between October 17 and 18. The respondents were 51.6% female and 48.4% male.
