UPtv's Ron Plante on Keeping Family in Mind

According to the study the linear TV viewing audience can be divided into three main segments Family in Mind or amp8220FIMamp8221 which represents 40 million US households Thrill Seekers 26 million and Escape Artists 42 million amp160UPamp8217s research finds its viewers embrace programming an entire family can enjoy together which helps the network shape its content scheduleThe latest wave has just been releasedamp160 Plante recently shared some of its results with MediaVillageCharlene Weisler amp160What is the study about and why conduct it nowRon Plante amp160We started the study in 2014 because we wanted to know more about our audience the people with whom UPamp160really resonatedamp160 The study serves two mastersamp160to help us better understand our target audience and also offeramp160something that could be used for ad salesamp160amp160Right out of the gate we found a lot of interest from the ad community amp160In fact our first wave was vetted by MediaVest which advised us with its point of view amp160From there we engaged with a major retailer that took some of the data and merged it into its own proprietary modelWeisler amp160What type of input did you get from MediaVestPlante amp160What MediaVest did in the first study was review the questionnaire with us advising us on which were the most important areas to explore amp160They gave us detailed questionnaire feedback and as well as some general directionWeisler amp160What methodology did you usePlante amp160A nationally representative sample cable plus amp160In the most recent study we focused on persons 2554 and also expanded from cable plus to a broader universe so we also included broadband only homes which is obviously an important target for a lot of people right now and for our UPtv SVOD offeringWeisleramp160 In this most recent wave were there any surprises or reinforcements from previous waves Plante amp160There were definitely some surprises and also some consistencies amp160The first surprise was when we looked at the three groupings the edgiest group Thrill Seekers declined from 36 in our first wave to 25 in the most recent one amp160People seemed to have migrated even though this wasnamp8217t a static sample from that edgier group into Escape Artists and FIMs amp160When you look at the television landscape in 2014 compared to 2018 and look at the top shows it is a bit of a gentler landscapeamp160 You have This Is Us and a lot of shows in the top tier in broadcast and cable that seem a little gentlerWhat also surprised us was the broad demographic spectrum FIM occupies amp160FIMs are from small towns and big cities racially and economically diverse and politically they are purple amp160just as likely to be Democrats or Republicans as the total US amp160What they have in common is the importance they place on TV as their main source of entertainment and they seek out shows they can watch with the entire familyWeisler amp160How are you implementing the results Plante amp160Weamp8217ve done a couple of things amp160Internally we conduct research studies that recruit specifically for FIM amp160That is how we screen our shows and our acquisitions amp160We have also fused the data definitions with both MRI and Nielsen so we can actually look at FIM in both of those platforms amp160We share that with advertisers and agencies if they wish to use itWeisler amp160What would you say makes these segments unique or special and makes them stand outamp160 There are a lot of segmentations out therePlante amp160There areamp160a lot of segmentations out there amp160We looked at a lot of historical research on segmentations and were happy to find that a lot of our results compared to historical segments amp160What makes ours different is the slightly larger universe because we are including broadbandonly homes now tooamp160 We are able to fuse this with Nielsen and MRI amp160That helps with the actual application of the data amp160One of my frustrations as a researcher in my career is that we have segmentations but are unable to use themamp160after the fact amp160We have found that within the company people understand what FIM is and everyday it is activated when we engage and interact with our audienceWeisler amp160What would you say are the implications for UP for programmers and for advertisers with these segmentsPlante amp160For advertisers environment is the hot button right now amp160Everyone is talking about how their content can be in a safe and appropriate environment amp160This underscores that when you reach out to those who are in the Family in Mind segment and you reach them in an appropriate environment your ad performs on steroids amp160We have found that environment makes a big difference amp160By targeting people in an appropriate environment who are in this mind frame your ad will perform wellFor programmers we are seeing a general shift happening and the industry seems to be getting a little bit softer in these times amp160When you look at UP we are one of the few places that is superserving this audienceamp160 When we talk to them they still say that they want more programming that is appropriate for theamp160entire family amp160They are saying that there is too much content with too much violence and sex amp160That is something we have taken to heart amp160Some of our most recent campaigns show families that watch togetheramp160and that has come directly from our researchWeisler amp160What are your plans going forward in this studyPlante amp160I would love to get other programmers and other advertisers interested in the segments and join forces with us to have a bigger better and complete understanding of this audience amp160Although we have built a pretty large base the industry is expanding and changing so fast that a study conducted six months ago is already behind the eight ball amp160We would also like to start to look at some nonlinear behaviors like video in the digital spaceClick the 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UPtv's Ron Plante on Keeping Family in Mind

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Charlene Weisler

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UPtv's Ron Plante on Keeping Family in Mind

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Charlene Weisler

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