Across the full complement of genres people are watching across major broadcast networks in the LPM markets, a few genres are benefiting more than others. During the analyzed period, local news viewing among people 25-54 was up 38% in San Francisco; news viewing in LA increased 25% among the same age group. Perhaps most interesting however, is that the lift among younger persons aged 2-17 was 20%. Marketers now have to reduce spending while continuing to engage buyers. For film and video editors and camera operators, the median wage was about $50,000. Among persons 25-54, the spike was higher, at more than 10%. As concerns and restrictions around the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) heighten in the U.S., consumers are gravitating to local news outlets to stay informed about the impact of the pandemic on their communities. Viewing data was analyzed across Nielsen’s Local People Meter (LPM) markets, which are 25 of the largest local markets as defined by Nielsen’s Local TV Household Universe Estimates. The audience size for local television news programming has decreased over the past decade in most time slots studied. With America at home and flocking to local TV for news in this crisis, this may present a unique opportunity for advertisers to demonstrate their brand value.As with any crisis, consumer behavior is quick to shift as disruptions unfold and evolve. (Data points for 2012 to 2016 also include Media General, which was purchased by Nexstar in 2017. “Non-adults have typically contributed very little to the profile of local news viewing,” said Justin LaPorte, VP, Local Audience Insights, Nielsen.
)Roughly 29,000 employees worked as reporters, editors, photographers or film and video editors in broadcast TV newsrooms in 2018, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics. See more local news industry statistics. In 2018, viewership for network local affiliate news stations (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) declined in key time slots – morning (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.), evening (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.) and late night (11 p.m. to 2 a.m.) – according to Comscore StationView EssentialsPrevious versions of this fact sheet included audience data stretching back to 2007. Staying put is what’s best for reducing the spread of the COVID-19, but home bound consumers are having an immediate impact on brands. The West Coast was hit earlier than other regions, and San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Seattle had the most significant increases in local news viewing. ”In the week of March 9, however, when schools across the U.S. began to move to in-home learning, 25-54s added more local news to their daily routines. Digital advertising revenue accounts for less than 10% of total ad revenue.Advertising revenue for 829 local TV stations defined as “news-producing stations” (i.e., stations that have a news director and are viable, commercial and English-language affiliates in the U.S.) was $15.8 billion, 82% of the total $19.3 billion revenue for the local TV industry overall, according to the BIA Advisory Services database.Revenue from retransmission fees – the fees paid by cable and satellite systems to carry local channels – has been increasing rapidly in the past decade, according to estimates from Kagan, a media research group in S&P Global Market Intelligence. That data is available in the Local TV station revenue typically follows a cyclical pattern: It increases in election years and decreases in non-election years. General Drama, Participation Variety, Situation Comedy and Feature Film have also seen notable gains in their share of overall broadcast viewership.https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/in-the-new-normal-of-covid-19-local-tv-news-proves-to-be-the-medium-of-choice-for-news-and-information/ Even with these viewership losses, local TV news still garners more viewers on average than cable and network news programs. The sports blackout at the hands of COVID-19 hasn’t dampened the passion that many fans have in terms of their media behavior, according to a recent Nielsen analysis on sports viewing.