As the major television networks preview their shows for the upcoming fall television season, one thing seems to stand out as a constant—advertising spend will be slightly below to flat compared to a year ago.
As such, small businesses can expect to see single digit increases on CPMs (cost-per-thousand). This means that CPMs are holding at a low rate of inflation. This is good news for those who are purchasing mass audiences with the television medium.
Here’s an early look at how some of the CPMs are shaking out by network.
ABC
Expect roughly a 6 percent increase in CPM. The network has several new shows. As expected, Shonda Rhimes owns Thursday nights with the continuation of her hit shows Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal and her provocative new legal thriller How to Get Away with Murder starring Viola Davis.
CBS
Expect roughly a roughly 7 percent increase in CPM. The network has several returning shows and new shows added to the lineup such as the newest edition to the “NCIS” franchise: NCIS-New Orleans which stars Scott Bakula. Other shows include Scorpion and Stalker which seem to garner excitement and another “CSI” franchise extension, called CSI: Cyber.
CW Network
Expect a decline of 1.5 percent versus a year ago. The network has seen modest ratings improvement. It has added two new shows to the lineup: Jane the Virgin about a young Hispanic working woman who is accidentally artificially inseminated and The Flash. The CW is focusing its efforts to grow digital platform offerings, as well.
FOX
Expect roughly a 5 percent increase in CPM. The network is introducing several new shows and event programming. The lineup includes the highly anticipated Gotham, Red Band Society, and limited series Gracepoint. With Gracepoint, Fox will likely pick up the older end of its target demographics. This show is a bit of a departure for Fox that typically finds younger audiences with its programming.
NBC
Expect roughly a 3 percent increase. The network launched several new shows last year such as the Michael J. Fox Show, Ironside, and Crisis. These shows had the excitement of advertisers and early viewers. However, the buzz quickly fizzled out. The most intriguing news with NBC is its hit show The Blacklist. The show returns next season to its Monday nighttime slot and goes on break after November. It then returns with a two-part story line that begins in a special episode scheduled after NBC’s airing of Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1 and concludes four nights later when it settles into its new time slot on Thursdays.
While ratings continue to erode, television real estate is still valuable since it garners the most time spent compared to other media (radio, digital, mobile, and print). National advertisers are expected to boost investment spending into local media. Small-business owners need to make smart decisions where they spend their dollars and keep an eye on what the big national advertisers are doing within your local markets. Competition is stiff and unlikely challenges are now surfacing in some of the most surprising manner.
Adele Lassere is a marketing/advertising consultant with 20+ years of experience, freelance writer, and author of “Elements of Buying: A How To Reference Guide on Advertising for Business Owners”; available at Amazon.com. Adele was on Black Enterprise’s 2011 Top Execs in Marketing & Advertising list and Black Enterprise’s 2013 Top Women Executives in Advertising & Marketing. Contact: [email protected]
