From The Harris Poll 2016 EquiTrend Study: TV networks still lead media categories in brand equity, but Internet radio, video streaming subscriptions and others are closing the gap. Media leaders in the study include Netflix, YouTube, ABC, CBS and Pandora Internet radio. “Some of the highest equity media brands may have limited penetration among the media-consuming public, but those that consume them, love them” said Joan Sinopoli, vice president of brand solutions at Nielsen, which owns the Harris Poll. Netflix is Harris Poll’s 2016 Video Streaming Subscription Brand of the Year and holds the strongest brand equity among media companies. According to the study, while broadcast TV networks maintain the media category equity lead, various cable networks with targeted content, as well as streaming entertainment, are making inroads.
If I’m reading this correctly they are saying that Netflix is the favorite streaming service and broadcast nets are the favorite among All media. So how come “Netflix holds the strongest brand equity among media companies”? Why is YouTube mentioned before ABC and CBS? Is Streaming really about to eat Broadcast TV Nets’ lunch? Don’t get me wrong, I love Netflix.. can’t live without it. But just lay out the facts dude…
The Poll also unearthed these astounding insights:
-The History Channel was tops for those who liked Facts
-The Weather Channel, for those interested in the Weather
-AMC for General Entertainment TV (aka MOVIES)
-Discovery Family was enjoyed by Kids
-ESPN … of all things was the #1 Brand for Sports viewership
-Great American Country Music TV was the cat’s meow when it came to Music
Nice.
But here’s the best part. “The Harris Poll study shows that the TV networks category will face its strongest challenge not with Millennials, but with Generation Z. According to the research, Millennials award a similar level of equity to TV networks as do older generations, but a sharp decline in TV network equity among Generation Z tips the scales in favor of streaming”. OH – MY – GOD …. The Z’s are coming (Shriek!!!!). Millennials award a similar level of equity to TV networks as do older generations?? Why .. that’s shocking. For the better part of a decade we’ve been hearing that they were a new breed of consumer, averse to Traditional promotional tactics and vastly reshaping the Media landscape, rejecting Print, Radio and Television. I guess what happened was, they grew up. It turns out they are people just like you and me. They became adults. They moved out of the house. They are getting married and having kids. All the cord cutting and time shifting and hunting down media became a little too much of a chore, and they purchased the ol’ cable bundle.
So now, in order to keep the narrative chugging along for another 10 years, let’s transpose it to Generation Z. “While much focus has been on millennials’ media consumption, Gen Z stands to be the real disruptor,” said Sinopoli. “With an abundance of new media choices, such as Crunchy Roll and Twitch.tv, the mobile-first generation will accelerate media fragmentation at a speed we can barely grasp today.”
