A+E Networks is presenting its original content by genre category in addition to the network brands they run on during its upfront presentation Wednesday evening.
The company is also doubling down on its total audience initiative, aiming to persuade media buyers to count all viewers rather than focusing on the traditional demos that exclude viewers above ages 49 and 54.
In addition to the genres A+E has focused on in the past, it is launching a new lifestyle category it is calling Home.Made Nation, which will feature home improvement, food, and innovation content across linear and digital platforms. The other A+E genre groupings are Historical & Documentaries, Biographies & Pop Culture and Movies and Features.
In the Fall, A+E will also launch 4UV, or For Unheard Voices, which will feature content by and for diverse but unheard voices. In addition to running on A+E current portfolio, it will be the basis for a new standalone free, ad supported streaming channel.
"It all comes down to great storytelling in collaboration with A-list storytellers in-front-of and behind-the-camera. A+E Networks is a premium home for talent to explore their passions and tell their narratives, and we are extremely proud to partner with such a diverse roster of creators across our portfolio of brands," said Paul Buccieri, president & chairman, A+E Networks Group.
"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 - from the shows they know and love to bold new programming in the most in-demand genres,” Buccieri said. "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 says it is producing 2,000 hours of original content, the most ever in its history.
The talent involved in the content A+E is presenting to advertisers includes Mick Jagger, Questlove, Rachael Ray, LeBron James, Robin Roberts, Peyton Manning, Leonardo DiCaprio, Pierce Brosnan, Ray Liotta and Doris Kearns Goodwin.
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A+E has also been one of the networks looking to get advertisers to change the way they buy commercials. With about half of traditional TV’s viewers over the age of 50, it doesn’t make sense to base deals on viewers in the 18 to 49 or even 25 to 54 demos.
Last year, A+E started to push advertisers to buy based on total viewers.
In an interview with Broadcasting+Cable, A+E ad sales president Peter Olsen noted that TV viewing in the demo is down double digits over the past three years, but among viewers 50-plus, its down just 9%. “That’s just linear,” he said. “Total consumption across all touch points is just about flat from three years ago. That’s why we’re putting a swath of our content everywhere. Audiences are finding it.”
He said now the majority of clients are buying based on metrics beyond the legacy demos.. At the same time a growing share of A+E’s ad sales, as much as 30% are coming on its digital platforms.
Olsen said that this year, advertising clients will be able to buy A+E shows by network brand or by genre or by audience segments. “A one size fits all approach doesn’t work for this industry,” he said. "As good partners, we’ll do our best to partner in every way possible.”
For Olsen the bottom line is that his clients still drive value and build businesses through video.
“Great stories still work. If you put good stuff on, people still find it despite all of the chaos going on,” he said.
As part of its Every Person Count initiative A+E has been doing research into the way mature people are depicted in advertising and better ways for advertisers to engage them.
A+E’s upfront was conducted virtually with COVID still a concern. Other networks plan to start making their presentations in person in May.
“I think the beauty of the virtual is you can make your presentation clear, easy to ingest and be as brief as possible. You get more people to see it and understand what you’re doing. And I think there’s plenty of opportunities for us to do face-to-face meetings throughout the year,” Olsen said. “Let’s home in the second week of May, everything goes they way we hope, because that’s a good sign for us as human beings."■
