Why the Aging of TV Audience is Good News for Nonprofits

Two big changes have been happening in television. As audiences shifted to streaming television, linear television audiences got older. While younger viewers were watching less television of all kinds, older people tended to remain loyal to linear programming.

Until streaming television became part of our lives, TV was dominated by four powerful networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. Then along came streaming and everything changed. It let us watch what we wanted, when we wanted, sometimes without commercials. Cords were cut, antennas dismantled, and many viewers said goodbye to their cable companies. Today, slightly less than half of all television watching hours are spent on broadcast and cable TV programs, according to Nielsen.

How TV Audiences Are Changing

Overall, broadcast and cable audiences are getting older. Baby Boomers, people between about 60 and 78 years of age, watched more linear TV than any other generation. They averaged about 5.75 hours a day according to eMarketer.

For generations, networks, advertisers, and ad agencies had focused on attracting audiences that were 25 to 54 years old, with the idea that developing buyers at this age of life would help create loyal buyers for brands over the remainder of their lives. It worked, until the demographics of television watching changed.

At Connect360, we’ve been watching this shift with interest, so we can better serve our nonprofit clients and maximize the audience they reach with their TV public service announcement campaigns. We weren’t the only ones paying attention. In 2024, the Wall Street Journal carried an article that talked about how the networks, advertisers, and their ad agencies had noticed this trend as well.

Big changes like these can be scary when they mean reworking a tried and true formula. But there’s good news about the aging of television audiences. Let’s take a closer look.

Across the board, channels and networks are seeing record-high median ages among their viewership. Some are referring to this as the “graying” of television audiences. MTV viewers now have a media age of 51, which means half are older than Seth Meyers. For news, the average age according to Nielsen, is 67 for CNN (the same as Vanna White), 69 for FOX News (the same as Bruce Willis), and 70 for MSNBC (the same as Denzel Washington).

The trend holds across broadcast television as well. The median age for a network primetime viewer is just over 64, about the age of Hugh Grant. Fox dips the lowest, due to its animated TV lineup including Bob’s Burgers, which boasts the youngest viewership of any broadcast network show. CBS viewership is the oldest, with a median age above 67 (making them older than Donny Osmond). CBS also has the largest share of primetime viewers.

Older Americans Are Living Differently

Young audiences have long been the main target of advertising spend. But, as the Wall Street Journal reported, advertisers are starting to recalibrate. Older Americans are living very different lives than their parents did at the same age, which puts them in a position to spend more for longer.

Older Americans tend to have more disposable income than younger audiences. According to Fidelity, the median net worth of 55-64 year olds is $364,500. That’s more than $120,000 greater than people in the 45-54 age bracket. With cars, houses and college debt potentially paid off, these consumers may have more money to spend.

Life expectancy has also been increasing slowly for decades. The average consumer lives longer than their parents did. Advances in healthcare and technology mean that 50 and 60 year olds are living much differently than their parents did at the same age.

Overall, people are waiting until their older to get married and have children. Older adults may be going back to college, working longer than their parents did, or starting a second career. They’re also retiring later. What does this mean for advertisers? Mostly that the messages they formerly aimed at younger audiences may still be relevant to the older set.

One lifestyle element that has not changed for many older adults is how they watch TV.  Many are still watching broadcast television.

Why Older Audiences Are Good For PSAs and Nonprofits

TV PSAs remain effective regardless of the age of the broadcast audience. First, because TV continues to deliver large audiences compared to other media. A typical television PSA generates over 125 million impressions and more than $5 million in donated airtime.

Fundraisers have known for years that older audiences are their best donation prospects, both for ongoing campaigns and for legacy giving. Not only do people 59 and older account for almost 70% of donated dollars, they also tend to be the people who control the money in donor advised funds. Although Baby Boomers (now age 60-79) make up just over 23% of the US population, they account for 43% of total U.S. giving, a larger share than any other generation.

Because older audiences may be more likely to make donations because they have more disposable income. Retired people may also have more time available to volunteer or otherwise engage with nonprofit organizations.

Word of mouth may also be a positive factor for nonprofits sharing health or public safety messages. Parents and grandparents may share these messages with the young people in their life out of a desire to keep them safe.

In short, public service announcements continue to be an efficient, effective, and low-cost way to reach large, national audiences with a ROI that is more than 200 times what it costs to distribute a PSA to stations and networks.

To get started with your next public service announcement, contact the PSA experts at Connect360. This is why we manage more PSA campaigns for more organizations than anyone else.

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