TV study says half of viewers will be over 50 by 2015

This study brings forward some interesting ideas about what programming will be on television, on the web and for devices.  Will what is shown on television be different than what the same network will stream online? Can older adults really adapt the new ways to consume entertainment?  Will they buy new products? Can the declining number of younger people sustain the economy or should older adults be the next target?

 

 

Andy Griffith as southern lawyer Benjamin Matlock. The report "Bring Back Matlock?" says more than half of TV viewing will be done by people over 50 by 2015.

By: Joe Flint Los Angeles Times, Published on Wed Jun 19 2013

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LOS ANGELES—By 2015, almost half of all television viewing will be done by folks over the age of 50, says media analyst Todd Juenger of Sanford C. Bernstein Co. in a new report titled “Bring Back Matlock?”

That is a mixed blessing for the TV industry. On one hand, the tendency of older viewers to consume more television means that the overall audience is growing. On the other hand, advertisers prefer to reach younger viewers and those numbers are in decline.

The reason advertisers target younger viewers is because of the belief that they are easier to persuade to try new products as opposed to older viewers who tend to be set in their ways.

The TV networks also want to reach younger viewers because they can charge advertisers more. Because older viewers typically consume greater levels of TV, commercials targeting them are cheaper.

Many younger viewers are watching more of their entertainment online. This creates a dilemma for the TV industry, which wants to put more content online but at the same time needs to protect the television screen.

Writes Juenger: “They can choose to try to capture more online dollars for themselves, but the more they encourage their viewers to eschew traditional TV, the more they hasten the demise of their core business — especially if it ultimately enables cord-cutting.”

This is one of the key reasons that programmers and distributors are trying to bring the pay-TV model to the web through their TV Everywhere initiative. However, the industry has struggled in marketing TV Everywhere to viewers in a clear and uniform fashion, which is slowing progress.

TV networks have also been working hard to erase the perception that older Americans don’t embrace new things and have been working to try to persuade advertisers that they too use iPhones and tablets and change toothpaste brands.

Free Little Library by Stereotank

Another in the series of Libraries Aren't Just Buildings Anymore.

The recently installed in New York’s Nolita neighborhood the Free Little Library is a temporary outdoor shelving unit that functions as a free library. The clever design protects the books from the weather while allowing people to duck under a cover to see what’s available. The library was designed by Venezuelan design firm Stereotank as part of a collaboration with the Architectural League of New York and the Pen World Voices Festival who have selected 10 designers to build miniature free libraries in downtown Manhattan through September. Can’t wait to see the rest. (via designboom)

 

Don't judge a library by its exterior

Here is a southwestern Ontario addition to my 'Libraries Aren't Just Buildings Anymore' category.

 

CTV London: Novel alternative to library takes off

 

Residents in the hamlet of Sweaburg have found a way to get around their lack of a library, by starting a book exchange.

 

CTV London
Published Friday, June 7, 2013 3:47PM EDT                                     

There are no fines for returning a book late. There’s only a bench to sit on if you want to stay and read. And the catalogue consists of about 100 books.
It may not be like other libraries, but residents of Sweaburg now have a library of sorts they can call their own.
It’s in a variety store - Ritu's Convenience and Foodmart - in the community of 500, but folks there don’t mind.

 

Bob Pate, owner of Ritu's Convenience and Foodmart, sorts through some of the options available at the store's book exchange in Sweaburg, Ont. on Friday, June 7, 2013.

“I don't understand why nobody thought of it before,” says resident Lenore Vandertuin
“We exchange books with our friends. Why not have them in a central area, that everybody goes to and we can get some great books to read."
"This library - the best advantage is no late fees. You don't need to worry about that," says Bob Pate, who owns the variety store where the library is housed.
At the suggestion of the Sweaburg and District Lions Club, Pate agreed to turn part of his store into a book exchange area. It’s been a hit, particularly as it’s free.
Residents can go to the Woodstock Public Library, but unless you live in Woodstock, it will cost you to borrow books.
There are expansion plans in Sweaburg, too.
Pate says he’ll take the movies off some shelves in the movie room and replace them with more books.

Read more: http://london.ctvnews.ca/don-t-judge-a-library-by-its-exterior-1.1316003#ixzz2VqZeUR52

Renfrew County Book Tree

Here is another in the series of Libraries Aren't Just Buildings Anymore.  Congratulations to the Renfrew County for this great community project.

The Petawawa Civic Centre playground is the home of the Renfrew County Book Tree. Grab a book from home and help us fill the tree with books that can be shared and experienced by many. Another project that makes Petawawa "Dynamic by Nature".