A+E Networks has long been in the business of selling advertising time for its linear cable networks. But as it moves into a new era of haggling over audiences who watch TV in decidedly non-traditional fashion, it has started to push advertisers to find new ways to spend their money.
“As our industry continues to evolve, we remain focused on premium, popular and relevant stories and storytellers and are expanding the ways our viewers can find our content,’ says Paul Buccieri,” president and chairman of A+E Networks Group, in a prepared statement, adding: “In an ever-changing landscape, we are providing our advertisers more — more programming featuring the world’s most beloved talent, more best-in-class opportunities to reach their targets, and more custom solutions to exceed their goals and deeply engage their audiences.” A+E Networks is holding a virtual upfront presentation Wednesday for advertisers.
Yes, A+E backs cable networks like History Channel, Lifetime, Vice TV and Crime & Investigation. In 2022, says Olsen, the company will put a stronger emphasis on genres categories of content, including historical and documentaries; biographies and pop culture; and movies and features. “People are discovering and connecting differently now,” says Peter Olsen, president of ad sales for A+E Networks, in an interview, and A+E is more conscious of fans who might search for a type of program at a moment of their own choosing rather than tune in to a specific daypart or network. Advertisers, he says, are as well, and want to place their commercials alongside narrower categories that help them hone in on their most likely customers,
With that in mind, A+E is putting a spotlight on home improvement and food in a category it called “Home.Made Nation.” One A+E rival, Discovery, is the nominal king of such topics, thanks to its ownership of Food Network, HGTV and Magnolia Network. But A+E has been producing shows in that category for over a decade, says Olsen. “There are certain content strands — homes and food are probably the two biggest ones — that people love. They will watch for four hours at a time, eight hours at a time, ” he says. “We have a pretty good track record, but we are pushing into it in a much bigger way in the year ahead.”
Some of the shows included in Home.Made Nation include “Rachael Ray’s Italian Dream Home,” “Rachael Ray’s Renovation Rescue,” “50/50 Flip,” “Flipping Down South” and “Food Fight.”
The company continues to push advertisers and media agencies to consider different groups of audience than have been the norm. For decades, advertisers have judged the success of TV programs based on the number of people between 18 and 49 they attract. A+E Networks last year began offering new deals based on a broader audience, including older adults. In last year’s upfront market, the company, which includes Walt Disney Co. as a partial owner, moved more than 75 advertisers to broader demo deals based on either audiences over 18 or audiences between 18 and 64. Half of the company’s upfront volume for the current season was based on those age ranges.
A+E Networks is also focused on linear TV. The company has been testing a series of advertising messages that pop up in the lower third of the screen during programming that play off specific moments of content. These “in-program messages” last about eight seconds, says Olsen. “It’s all about getting an advertisement closer to the content and taking advantage of the full screen.”
All the moves taking into account how the behavior of the audience is changing, with people following a favorite program from linear TV to a subscription hub like Netflix and even to YouTube. “The company is trying to pivot because our fans are telling us they want to pivot,” Olsen says
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