Cable TV has a huge problem and that is the fact that its average user is aging rapidly. Increasingly even on kids networks the average age of cable TV veiwers are aging.
A good example of this is Cartoon Network which advertises itself as targeting a core audience of boys and girls aged 6-12, now though most of its viewers are over the age of 18, with 75% of its viewers are now over the age of 18 and 43% over the age of 30, according to Statista.
It is even being reported that in 2022 during the hours of 6 pm to 8 pm 68% of Cartoon Networks’ audience was over the age of 18. This time block has traditionally been big with school-age kids looking to watch TV before bed.
Increasing the next generation of possible cable TV subscribers are now on streaming. Kids are watching YouTube Kids instead of Cartoon Network and older kids are watching Paramount+ or Disney+.
The question facing Cable TV companies now is even if they hold on to the customers they have now is how do they add new ones. As Americans cut the cord others get older it leaves the question of how cable TV will find new customers to replace older ones.
The other big problem is the that advertisers want customers aged 18 to 34 on average. Well that has changed some the prime dollars has often been spent on programing being watched by 18 to 34 year olds. As cable TV viewrs age will advertisers be unwilling to spend money on ads like they did in the past.
So cable TVs aging problem brings two big problems. Fewer subscrbiers and losing a key demographic that draws in higher dollars from advertisors. For now there dosn’t seem to be any easy fix.