Canadian media buyers and planners are in New York this week as the major U.S. broadcast networks reveal what’s in store for the next TV season. Marketing has asked some top agency executives to share their impressions of the week between presentations, parties and meetings.
Thursday, May 17th: CW
Mark Pedowitz, president of CW, opened today’s upfront by saying it will be a transformative year for his cable property, referring to a bigger and bolder strategy that focuses on more shows – driven by new acquisitions and the launch of a summer schedule – and providing audiences with a fully converged network.
This means a complete overhaul of its current program schedule. Shows will be moved around to accommodate the new acquisitions.
I would characterize today’s upfront as a natural progression for CW. The changes are necessary to keep up with the demand for content from this social media-savvy target group.
CW’s unique selling proposition is that it targets one audience group (18-34) and one program genre (drama), which allows it to focus on building out engaging content and platforms that specifically interest this fickle target group.
Some of CW’s proven performers include Vampire Diaries, 90210, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Top Model and Supernatural. But five new shows will be added to the schedule.
• Emily Owens, M.D. – Similar to Grey’s Anatomy, but based on first-year interns
• Arrow – Male version of Nikita, story based on a DC comic novel
• Beauty and the Beast – CW’s version of a classic love story
• The Cult – A complex drama about a TV show and the cult underworld that runs it (mid-season)
• The Carrie Diaries – A prequel to Sex and the City (mid-season)
We monitored social conversation around the new shows. The Cult is building the most momentum. The actors themselves are also pushing out conversation and content about their programs, which is further building out a fan following. The Cult is expected to replace Gossip Girl next year.
The added bonus of targeting 18-34s is that their natural media habits include heavy social media consumption and engagement. With this in mind, CW will be expanding its digital platforms and revealing a new multiplatform measurement. This will allow advertisers and agencies to tap into further insights around this changeable target group.
By building on an already proven stable of programs and leveraging its audience’s natural engagement with social media, CW will grow as a strategic reach builder and top content provider for the 18-34 market.
Robert DaSilva is managing director, trading at Mindshare Canada
