TV News Has Become a Madison Avenue Hot Potato, But It Still Helps Ads

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor TV-news programs are some of the most-watched in a fragmented media ecosystem, but advertisers have increasingly shied away from the medium in recent years, fearful that polarized audiences will associate their pitches with hot talk and tough stories tied to politics, climate change and cultural debates.

They may be making a poor decision. A new study from Mediaprobe, a company that measures real-time physical and emotional responses to media, finds that news programs generate better response and recall than many primetime TV shows.

The company examined data that involved the viewing of 11 networks, covering 41 shows and involving 671 brands, spanning a period from November 2023 to September 2024.

The company found that commercials appearing in news and political content spurred stronger emotional responses compared to ads that aired during primetime slots.