Tuesday

Reality's power
to wrinkle its foes

Pass the Botox: Viewers age for competing shows

By Kevin Downey

   Everyone knows reality shows pull in younger viewers. Why else would network chieftains such as CBS's Leslie Moonves proclaim, as he so famously has, that the genre will change television forever?
   Now here's a new and interesting fact: Not only does reality TV attract younger viewers, it can also drive up the ages of shows airing on competing networks.
   This conclusion comes out of a study of the genre released yesterday by Initiative Media.
    Most of “American Idol’s” Tuesday competitors, for example, have aged since “Idol’s” second-season premiere last month. The median age of viewers for ABC’s “8 Simple Rules” is up two years, while the audience for the WB’s “Gilmore Girls” is up more than three years.
   This new data affirms the rising respect reality TV is gaining as a full genre in its own right, especially among media buyers, never mind all the criticism that's come about of late that's it's a mere fad.
   That will likely be further affirmed with next week’s premiere of CBS’s sixth version of “Survivor.” Though the show generates less buzz than in earlier runs, its viewers numbers are holding up remarkably well.
   “I don’t think there’s any reason to believe that reality hasn’t already gotten the respect of media people,” says Brian Hughes, senior research analyst with Initiative Media, who authored the report on reality shows.
   “You have to imagine that reality TV is regular programming’s version of event TV,” adds Stacey Lynn Koerner, senior vice president and director of broadcast research at Initiative.
   “In an environment that has a very fragmented audience, reality serves up a situation where a viewer cannot miss a show or they’ll miss out on the outcome.”
   Moreover, and perhaps most telling of reality’s growing clout among media buyers, some shows are pulling advertising rates that rival those of top-rated scripted programs.
   A 30-second spot on “Joe Millionaire’s” finale this month is reportedly going for $550,000, while “American Idol’s” May finale of is said to be getting $950,000.
   As a point of comparison, a regular spot on NBC’s “Friends” goes for about $456,000.
   Although slow in coming, respect for reality has grown as ratings have gone up.
   With the broadcast networks long plagued by viewer migration to cable, the quick fix of ABC’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” for a time stemmed the tide a few years ago.
   With far more shows than there were ever game shows, reality is having a bigger impact.
   Reality now accounts for 10 percent of rating points in primetime, compared to 6 percent last year and 4 percent the year before.
   Moreover, many reality shows that debuted in first quarter are pulling better ratings than their network’s average, according to Initiative, which calls this the new wave of reality programs.
   ABC’s adult 18-49 rating for reality programs, for example, is up 158 percent this season, compared to an 8 percent decline for continuing scripted shows and a 20 percent decline for first-season scripted shows.
   Ratings for the shows have also been more consistent than in the past, and in many cases have out performed scripted shows.
   The impact has been most dramatic for ABC and Fox, both of which needed the boost after disastrous performances last season.
   On the strength of “Joe Millionaire” and “American Idol,” which is doing better now than in its first version, Fox ranks No. 2 so far in the February sweeps, one of four month-long periods used by local affiliates to set ad rates.
   Fox could very well end up No. 1 in the adult 18-49 demographic typically sought after by advertisers. Its rating is up 25 percent compared to last February, not including the Super Bowl, which aired on Fox last year.   Perhaps as a result of the impressive ratings, much of the reluctance from advertisers to be associated with the sometimes crude content of reality seems to be waning.
   It should be noted that the new wave of reality is in many ways tamer than the previous wave.
   “American Idol,” for example, may be harsh on contestants, but no one is being tortured as they were on ABC’s “The Chair,” a short-lived game show hosted by John McEnroe.
    “Based on the law of averages, as there are more reality options out there, there is a better chance of advertisers finding appropriate content,” says Hughes.

-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.

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