Magid research brief details the role of emotion in driving viewership trends

The briefing examines what’s changed – and what has stayed the same – in the primetime television landscape over the past five years.

NEW YORK, October 21, 2019 – Magid, a research-based consultancy, today released a briefing to better understand how emotions impact viewers’ choices and their viewing behaviors. 

The genesis of the work originated in a collaborative project with NBCUniversal as Magid sought to understand the power of emotional alignment, how viewership trends have changed over time, examine the implications for ads and promos, and provide recommendations for future viewing.

Key findings from the research include:

• The top 100 shows consumed over the past 5 years have had increasingly more relatable and uplifting content.
• Fun and funny, which have appeared consistently over time, now appear at their highest levels of saturation within the top 100 programs. This is not exclusive to comedy, as it extends to unscripted, variety talk, drama and other genres.
• Four of the ten most uplifting dramas in the most recent broadcast season were new shows. All four were renewed in advance of or during the most recent upfronts.
• Fast-paced, heart-racing content was ranked highly in the 2014-2015 broadcast season but has since fallen out of favor among consumers as this type of content did not even make the list in the 2018-2019 broadcast season.

“As the world has changed, so too has the emotional tenor that resonates with viewers,” says Mike Bloxham, Senior Vice President, Global Media & Entertainment at Magid. “Audiences are gravitating towards more heartwarming, relatable content than was the case five years ago. It’s still about great storytelling of course, but many of the best-received stories are now being told with a different tone of voice. This research provides programmers and advertisers alike with a blueprint for understanding how to position themselves in the fall television landscape and beyond.”

The full whitepaper is available to download here.

Magid Media Contact:
Bill Daddi, Daddi Brand Communications
Bill@DaddiBrand.com
646-370-1341
917-620-3717

About Magid
Magid is a consumer-centered business strategy company delivering courageous thinking that shapes better experiences, products and services. Since 1957, thousands of local and global brands in over 40 countries have engaged the firm for bold ideas that have helped achieve innovation and success. The Magid team is passionately curious and driven by the pursuit of improving human experiences with every engagement.