Newspapers have long been seen as a dying medium, but it may soon be joined by broadcast television. The New York Times is reporting that viewership continues to fall. Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are snatching up younger demos left and right.

The Wall Street Journal reported more than 1 million consumers cut the cable in the past quarter (May-Aug. 2018), and moving to streaming services so what is going on?  (Streaming services can include broadcast television and cable programming, but makes it harder to count the number of viewers) .

Much of the programming offered on broadcast TV these days are “re-boots,” shows brought back from the past that get a face lift (Murphy Brown, Hawaii 5-0, Will and Grace and show formally known as Rosanne). While this strategy worked for a while, it is becoming clear that audiences are looking for more.

Broadcast television can still tout franchises like Law & Order, and medical shows still are able to pull in decent ratings, but at much smaller audience sizes. Reality shows are also not immune from this trend. Dancing With the Stars has fallen by more than 31 percent this season and Shark Tank has loss of 33 percent causing us to wonder when the investor hosts bail on a sinking ship.

Re-boot shows that were relevant 20 – 30 years ago no longer fit the today’s millennial lifestyle. Take a look at what programs won an Emmy in 2018. While not a good way to measure ratings, cable outlets and streaming services dominated with wins which you have to believe is due to superior programs.

There’s another challenge for broadcasters. Long gone are the days when viewers only had  two to three choices. Jack Benny ruled Sunday nights with enormous shares having President Kennedy quipping that he was too busy to watch most television but that he made the time to watch The Jack Benny Program each week.

There’s still some good news for broadcasters, it’s called football. The ratings for the week of Nov. 5, 2018, saw 6 of the top 10 programs tied to football programming (not just the games, but pre/post game programs). The rights to broadcast the games continue to soar, but so far, over the air broadcasters are able to hold on to them.

As we used to say in the biz, content is king or put another way “if you build it, they will come”.