Before Tuesday’s announcement about Global Television’s 2011/12 primetime schedule, Marketing managed to get some time with Paul Robertson, Shaw Media president, to cover some of the network-related issues on advertisers and media buyers’ minds.
On the genre mix of the fall lineup:
We knew we had some key drama spots we wanted to fill, and we also wanted to make a bigger commitment to comedy than we had in the previous season. We look for a balanced schedule; we like to get a balance of drama and comedy and of late we’ve probably gone more to one-hour drama. (Global announced six new dramas and six new comedies.)
On measurability:
Some of the measurement techniques are still evolving and coming into their own, so we probably still have some choices to make in terms of measurement. But at the end of the day we’ll be guided by our customers in terms of what they think they need to make sure they know that the advertising delivered.
On Shaw’s strategy for building a lineup:
When you put your schedule together, you’re considering how much simulcast programming can you get consistent with the U.S. networks and capture all those audiences coming into Canada. In this case, we have 13 hours compared to about 12 and a bit last year, so we’re able to increase the amount of simulcast, which is a good way to increase the audience delivery.
But importantly, the flow is really key. It’s not helpful to have one type of target audience then move into an older audience, then back to a younger audience. The more you shift around the programming in terms of who it appeals to, the less flow you have during the evening period. So we’re always concerning ourselves with getting those viewers early and then carrying them throughout the evening.
To see video of Robertson discussion Shaw 360, the company’s new cross-platform content concept , click here.
