What's Hot, What's Not - Trends to Watch for TV and Magazine

As we embark on TV and Magazine planning for the fall/early 2008, it is important to note trends in these mediums to ensure optimal client investment. So what are the “Hot” and “Not-So-Hot” trends? Experts from Media Life and Ad Age give us a peek of what’s to come.

According to Media Life’s “Upfront Report” on fall 2007 TV trends, there will be a decline of serialized dramas due to bad ratings. Among the affected shows are: Fox’s Vanished, ABC’s The Nine, and CBS’s Jericho. Additionally, even long-running hits such as ABC’s Lost and Fox’s 24 are declining. Overall, these hit shows are slipping due to the viewer’s lack of commitment. In essence, viewers are looking for shows with story lines that are wrapped-up within the hour, rather than viewing shows that require a higher level of commitment.

On the other hand, NBC’s Heroes is the only serialized drama that’s a hit show. It successfully caught on quickly with viewers, which allowed it to gain traction. Heroes established a connection with viewers, as it allowed them to relate to the characters in the show through escapism, mythology and overall empathy for the characters.

Another TV trend suggests a rise in shows like NBC’s The Office or job related shows, and less attention to family oriented shows similar to Everybody Loves Raymond. Viewers are gravitating toward work-based storytelling rather than family-based shows because the workplace is considered a whole other family. For most, the traditional family isn’t relatable. Furthermore, another dynamic exists at work where all kinds of drama and tension exist. Hence, allowing viewers to relate more to this type of programming.

Networks this fall are also aiming to support shows centered on women; specifically the women of NBC’s Lipstick Jungle. The introduction of this new drama will be used as a means to attract educated, successful women.

Experts also analyzed an interesting TV trend involving teens. MTV’s TRL (Total Request Live) was once a teen obsession, but is now struggling much like MTV. TRL is down 67% from 8 years ago due to MTV relying on older, fading shows, i.e. The Real World.

Furthermore, TRL has been hurt by Youtube.com, since teens can call-up favorite videos rather than waiting a full hour to see them. In an effort to save money, MTV has also been airing TRL episodes two days a week instead of airing them live; thus losing the show’s essence of capturing the day’s top music video choices. Additionally, this “move to tape” has caused speculation that TRL would be cut entirely.

With regards to Magazine trends, the latest report from the Publisher’s Information Bureau (PIB) notes that “Teen” magazines have been on the decline. This has been due to the demise of Elle Girl and Teen People.

Most titles in the “Parenting” category are down, and unfortunately, the print edition of Child magazine recently folded. Cookie and Family Fun are the only “Parenting” magazines that are showing gains.

Media Life notes that “Teen” and “Parenting” magazine categories are on the decline due to the migration of readers and advertisers that are moving toward the Internet.

According to Ad Age, the “Celebrity Weekly” category is also showing signs of decline, which can be attributed to the rise of TMZ.com, a celebrity gossip website. Additionally, the category has become overcrowded; not to mention changes in reader attention toward the overexposure of the same few stars: i.e., Anna Nicole Smith, Brad-Jen-Angelina, etc. Moreover, postal hikes and price wars may also be contributing to the decline in circulation growth. An example of this is Star Magazine, which has cut circulation by 10% to 1.35 million, down from 1.5 million.

Media Life also outlines magazine categories that are showing gains. Among them are: “Women’s Service/Beauty”, “Fashion” and “Shelter” titles. Such gains indicate vitality and a strong position in the marketplace.

Additionally, certain publication groups are responding to these trends by creating innovative ways to incorporate print brands online. For instance, Fox and Hearst are partnering to make a series for broadband and eventually network TV, based on popular magazine titles. An example is the Cosmo Girl project; a serialized Soap with fans contributing to the narrative by submitting suggestions for what should happen next in the story.

TV and Magazine trends are ever-changing; filled with peaks and valleys. Hence, as part of our daily job performance, it is imperative that we stay abreast of these changes in order to make the most viable and optimal client recommendations to maximize return on investment.


Laura Greenfield, Senior Media Planner
Cheil Communications New Jersey