Today, the process by which advertisers select the programs within which to present their messages is a one-dimensional process based upon a quantitative estimate of the size of the audience, defined by age and sex, delivered by each program. This process does not include any consideration of the qualitative dimensions of television viewing such as the viewers attention to the program and satisfaction with the total viewing experience. Insights that I have gained from the qualitative research that we at CBS have done concerning the viewing experience have led me to conclude that the qualitative dimensions of media exposure have substantially more impact on the communication of advertising messages embedded within television programs than we have assumed in the past. These qualitative differentials often outweigh the quantitative differentials upon which advertising placement decisions solely rest today. It is this thesis which will be presented and defended in this paper.
The television industry in the U.S. has always been tempered by a competitive marketplace, a commercially driven environment, which has been uniquely shaped by the size of the audience. Luring the past ten years, competition has heated up dramatically. The U.S. television viewers have always been in control, with the advent of new video alternatives this is more the case today. What does this U.S. viewer-controlled market presage for other nations, as they open their video markets to new competition? Beginning with a brief historical overview of U.S. video market dynamics, followed by a discussion or. the viewer, this paper attempts to shed light on the questions raised by the interaction between the viewer and a new television environment.