Welcome to the new 10:
We are all living in a new era for television with change happening in front of us. This is especially true for 10 given recent events, and it is an era that we are very excited about.
We are of course now part of CBS Corporation, a marriage made in heaven perhaps, and definitely one that we are very happy with.
CBS’s new role in Australian media is not only a good thing for 10 but I genuinely believe it is also a very good thing for media in Australia.
The past 18 months has seen significant change. Some of it has happened to us, but most of the change been the start of a deliberate long-term plan.
A new strategy, a new brand and unprecedented investment in technology, data and content.
A refresh, rebrand – re-anything – must always begin with a clear and open understanding of where you stand, what your customers love about you, what they may not love about you, and, above all, what sets you apart.
The decline in linear TV viewing also continues to be overstated using outdated overnight audience metrics.
It’s like measuring the retail industry by counting the footfall in stores. Consumers will shop the way want to, when they want to.
We’re not really seeing the whole picture yet. This year we will see for the first time the real size of the audience with Total TV ratings and VOZ.
Yes, there is some drop in casual viewing – people do not watch a second repeat of NCIS like they use to – but prime viewing, big noisy event television is going strong.
Fragmentation of our audience’s viewing habits is sometimes framed as a bad thing. On the contrary, this is making TV stronger by propelling our content across more screens and channels.
This fragmentation allows us, if we are clever, to grow and evolve our presence beyond a linear broadcast, turning the viewer experience into a virtual water cooler as the conversation and interaction with formats continues well beyond a timeslot.
This means much deeper engagement than we could have ever achieved in the past.
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Top Photo: Rod Prosser and Paul Anderson