Quoting now from an AP story today: “In TV’s worst spring in recent memory, a startling number of Americans drifted away from television the past two months: More than 2.5 million fewer people were watching ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox than at the same time last year, statistics show.” Everyone has a theory: early start to Daylight Savings Time, poor measurement of DVRs, boring TV shows and broader availability of video online. All of these likely have an impact. The bottom line is that these declines will have a significant impact. Even if people are watching TV as much as they did last year but it’s not being measured properly, the message has already been sent to advertisers: people seem to be watching less traditional TV. That perception is dangerous for the networks, especially when you consider that new digital revenues will not offset a drop in viewership of this magnitude, this fast. Your thoughts…?
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