Viewers find specialty TV relevant and engaging
With advertisers looking to target their consumers through media that interests and engages them, Alliance Atlantis has released a new study that shows that specialty TV does that and more. The ‘Channel Affinity Study’ was one of the highlights of the broadcaster’s second annual Spotlight on Specialty Television forum held yesterday in Toronto, copresented with strategy and Media in Canada.
The study presented by The Strategic Counsel president Chris Kelly, shows that not only does specialty capture a large percentage of TV viewing time, its audiences are loyal, have an affinity for its programming and advertising, and consider specialty programming to be high quality. HGTV drew high scores across the board, being the number one favorite channel among a group of stations regularly visited, in relevancy and quality of information.
Other presentations at the event looked to how technology, media and marketing trends will continue to affect TV, and the evolving role of specialty. During a presentation on viewing shifts caused by the growth of new specialty in Canada, Doug Davis, director of research for AAC, predicted that: ‘The digital universe will have greater impact on viewing habits than DVRs over the next two to three years.’
Guest speaker Peter Sealey, former CMO of Coca-Cola and currently a marketing consultant and an adjunct professor of marketing at the University of California, Berkeley, shared his beliefs about ‘the end of ad-supported broadcast TV as we know it.’
Sealey points to advertising becoming more digital, personal and controllable, and discussed the potential of new media such as podcasting, satellite radio and online radio (in the U.K. online radio ad spend has exceeded radio), and the rise of permission-based and embedded advertising. In this milieu, Sealey sees targeted TV in the ascendancy, citing McDonald’s CMO Larry Light’s comment: ‘Mass marketing is a mass mistake.’
Fellow American Ken Lowe, president/CEO of E.W. Scripps, spoke to the further targeting of nets under his remit, such as the launch of a B2B channel www.hgtvpro.com, for professional builders, and the ability to drill down further into interest groups vie e-newsletters and site-related efforts, and new mobile content deals.
The national study on Canadians’ relationship with their favourite nets, that validated HGTV’s efforts, was conducted by The Strategic Counsel and ComQuest Research in January and February of this year. The results are based on telephone interviews with 2,578 TV viewers between the ages of 18 and 54. They were questioned about 44 conventional and specialty channels in addition to some screening and demographic questions. Some of the questions follow:
This channel is one of my favourites.
1. HGTV
2. Discovery Channel
3T. National Geographic Channel
3T. Global
5. CTV
6. Food Network Canada
7. CBC
8. Discovery Civilization
9. TSN
10. The Score
This channel is among the group I regularly visit to see what’s on.
1. HGTV
2T. Global
2T. CTV
4. CBC Newsworld
5. Discovery Channel
6. Food Network Canada
7T. TSN
7T. History Television
7T. CBC
10T. IFC
10T. Sportsnet
The programming on this channel is relevant to me and my interests.
1. HGTV
2. CBC Newsworld
3. The Weather Network
4T. National Geographic Channel
4T ROB TV
6. Food Network Canada
7. Discovery Channel
8. The Score
9. Sportsnet
10. History Television
The programming on this channel is generally of high quality.
1T. National Geographic Channel
1T. Discovery Channel
3. CBC Newsworld
4T. HGTV
4T. Animal Planet
6T. History Television
6T. ROB TV
8T. Food Network Canada
8T. Discovery Civilization
8T. The Weather Network
Programming on this network sometimes inspires me to do new things.
1. Food Network Canada
2. HGTV
3. FINE LIVING
4. Sex TV
5. Life Network
6T. National Geographic Channel
6T. ROB TV
8. Discovery Channel
9. W Network
10. Documentary Channel
This channel provides information about quality products and services.
1. HGTV
2. Food Network Canada
3. ROB TV
4. FINE LIVING
5. Discovery Channel
6. Animal Planet
7T. BBC Canada
7T. Court TV
7T. Sex TV
9T. Discovery Health Channel
The advertising on this channel is relevant to me.
1. HGTV
2. W Network
3. Food Network Canada
4. FINE LIVING
5T. ROB TV
5T. The Score
7T. BBC Canada
7T. CTV
9T. Sex TV
9T. Global
I am more inclined to buy products and services advertised on this channel compared to the others.
1. HGTV
2. Food Network Canada
3T. FINE LIVING
3T. CBC
5T. ROB TV
5T. CTV
7. Discovery Health Channel
8. Court TV
10T. BBC Canada
10T. The Score
10T. Global
