|
|
The whiskering
of UPN and the WB
Leaders in the aging of the networks' audiences
By Toni Fitzgerald
The instinct might be to blame the graying of the broadcast
networks’ TV audience on CBS, which perpetually skews older, or the aging baby boomer
population that continues to dominate audience share.
But this year there seems to be a new, more unlikely culprit, or rather culprits
– perennially youthful UPN and the WB.
Both have inched up to the highest median ages in their history this year following
up-and-down seasons in which their most popular shows aged quite quickly.
That’s according to a new report by MAGNA Global USA, which finds that
the median age for the six broadcast networks jumped to 45.7 years old for the
October-to-May season.
That's a 2 -percent increase over last year’s 44.7, and that included
upticks of more than two years for the WB and one year for UPN.
“While WB’s average median age has inched upward over the past five
years, it remains the youngest broadcast network,” explains Steve
Sternberg, Magna Global
USA executive vice president and director of audience analysis.
“CBS continues to be the oldest. Fox has the closest median age to that of the
general population, and WB and UPN are actually closer to the population than ABC or
NBC.”
The WB is aging faster than any other network after a disappointing season
among its target audience of viewers 12-34. In 1999-2000, the network’s median age
was 28.7; last season it was 33.4.
No other network varied even 2.0 years in that span, with ABC up 1.9 to 45.3 and
UPN up 1.4 to 34.2.
Although several of the WB’s new shows this season were among the
youngest-skewing on any network, its most popular ones are aging rapidly.
“Everwood,” its oldest-skewing, went from a 36.8 in 2002-2003 to a 42.0
last season.
Lead-in “Seventh Heaven,” the WB’s top-rated show, aged from a
34.9 to a 38.9, compared with just a 32.3 four years ago.
And “Reba,” its most popular sitcom, packed on more than four years
when it made a time slot switch from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays last year with a median age
of 39.7.
All three shows had audience declines last season, which seems to indicate
that the older folks stayed with them while the younger ones fled.
Although rookies “Run of the House” (27.5) and “One Tree
Hill” (27.6) were the two youngest-skewing shows on broadcast, they didn’t pull
in enough audience to anchor the WB’s age down. And don’t expect this fall to
change those patterns very much.
“The new fall series ‘Jack and Bobby’ should skew older
than the typical WB show, while ‘The Mountain’ should skew young,”
Sternberg predicts. “WB plans a number of reality series for midseason, which should keep
its average median age young.”
For UPN, meanwhile, some of its most-aged shows won’t return next
season, such as the Friday night movie (41.2, up six years over 2002-2003), “I’m
Still Alive” (41.5) and “Jake 2.0” (44.2). Though its oldest-skewing show,
“Enterprise” at 45.1, does come back, all other returning UPN shows have a
median age of 32.9 or younger. With “America’s Next Top Model” gaining
steam and “Enterprise” losing it, Sternberg predicts that UPN’s median age
may dip below the WB’s next year.
Fox, whose median age rose to 36.4, its highest in four years, will return
six of its seven youngest-skewing shows (all but “Forever Eden”). The network
boasts a greater percentage of its viewership from those 21-40 than any other network,
including 18-49s season winner NBC.
NBC was the only network to dip its media age, going from 46.2 to 45.9 thanks
to a trio of reality hits: “Fear Factor,” “Average Joe” and “The
Apprentice,” all with median viewer ages under 40.
CBS, without any shows under a 43 median age, inched from a 52.2 last year to
a 52.9 this year.
ABC had the biggest gain behind the WB, going from 43.6 to 45.3, though
there’s a good chance that will change. It returns just four shows with a median age
above 48. |
July 13,
2004 © 2004 Media Life
- Toni Fitzgerald is a staff writer
for Media Life.
|
|
  |
|
