Why Traditional TV Is in Trouble

The upfront season is here with ≈ $9.7B in ad sales expected.

National TV ad spend in 2017 (% of total):
1) Upfront — $9.7B (23%)
2) Non-upfront — $32.6B (77%)

National TV ad spend by year according to eMarketer:
1) 2016 — $43.3B (↑ 1%)
2) 2017 — $42.3B (↓ 2%)
3) 2018 — $41.7B (↓ 1%)
4) 2019 — $41.2B (↓ 1%)
5) 2020 — $40.6B (↓ 1%)

Older audience: 9 of the top 10 entertainment shows on TV have an average age above 52.

Flashback: As Viewers Drift Online, Advertisers Hold Fast to Broadcast TV

Must see chart from Recode breaking down the viewership for the top 10 shows in 2000 and 2016.

More #1: TV viewers have been disappearing, but TV ad spending keeps chugging along

More #2: Pay TV Subscriber Declines Stabilize in Q1

Pay-TV subscriber growth YoY:
1) Cable — ↓ 323K
2) Satellite — ↓ 418K
3) Telco — ↓ 68K
4) Streaming — ↑ 562K