Wednesday, April 15, 2015

ABC Family Changes Target Audience

ABC Family wants to make sure advertisers understand its programming isn’t the sort that might be watched by, well, the unit that is part of its name.

According to Variety, the Walt Disney-owned cable outlet unveiled plans Tuesday to focus on a group of viewers it calls “becomers” who interested in romance, even sex, and on their way to becoming big-spending consumers ready to sign up for credit cards and financial investments. In doing so, executives hope to scrap a long-held notion that its original shows are aimed at parents and younger children watching together.

“That’s not who are. It is not who we are going to be,” said Tom Ascheim, president of ABC Family, in an interview. “We are seeking a shift in the perception, and that’s what we are working very hard on.”

The shift is a nod to the aging of a generation with which the network has previously been linked. Citing research, ABC Family noted nearly 70% of 12-34 year-olds are millennials, but less than half will be in that target range within five years. The emphasis comes as the cable network prepares to call on advertisers as part of TV’s annual “upfront” market, when TV networks try to sell the bulk of their ad inventory for the coming programming cycle.

As part of these efforts, executives at the network vowed to double the amount of original programming it offers over the next four years, and dip into new formats.

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