TV is also losing the war to the internet.
Just like newspapers and magazines, with many titles going out of circulation and low circulation, TV stations in Brazil are facing a sharp drop in viewership – and it's not from one channel to another, but rather from TV to the internet; Globo and SBT, for example, ended 2013 as the worst year in their history in this regard; in prime time, where advertisers are concentrated, the decline of the Marinho network was more pronounced, due to the poor performance of its soap operas and the Jornal Nacional news program; Silvio Santos's TV channel is not exciting, with an excess of reruns; the internet is already the most consumed media in the country, with more than 100 million internet users.
Valter Lima, from Brasil 247 - Year after year, free-to-air TV sees a dwindling number of viewers interested in its programming. The year 2013, for example, which ends this Tuesday (31), is one that broadcasters like Globo, owned by the Marinho family, and SBT, owned by Silvio Santos, want to forget. Both registered their worst audiences this year. From January 1st to December 26th, Globo's daily average (from 7 am to midnight) in Greater São Paulo (where most advertisers are concentrated) was 14,3 points - 0,3 less than in 2012. SBT ends the year with a daily average of 5,3 points, compared to 5,6 points last year. Record and Rede TV also experienced a slight drop.
What worries broadcasters regarding the decrease in their audience is that it's not migrating from one channel to another. Viewers are choosing to turn off the TV to access the internet. A groundbreaking study conducted by IAB Brazil in partnership with comScore, released last year, confirmed this. The internet is already the most consumed media in the country, with over 100 million internet users.
According to the survey "Connected Brazil – Media Consumption Habits," which investigated the growing importance of the web in the daily lives of Brazilians, the internet is already considered the most important medium for 82% of the 2.075 respondents. More than 40% of respondents spend at least two hours a day browsing the internet (on various digital devices), while only 25% spend the same amount of time watching TV. The internet appears as the preferred activity for all age groups, income levels, genders, and regions when there is little free time, totaling 62%.
Even in prime time (18 PM to midnight), where Globo has always had enviable performance and where its main attractions are concentrated – soap operas, the Jornal Nacional news program, and variety shows – the drop in its audience was greater. It fell from 24,6 points (2012) to 23,2 points (2013). SBT went from 6,7 to 6,5 points. Band went from 3,7 to 3,5 points. Rede TV! scored 1,2 points this year, compared to 1,3 in 2012.
On Globo, the soap operas had a very bad year. The teen soap opera Malhação, which once reached 30 audience points, now struggles to reach double digits, barely managing to stay around 12 points. The current 18 PM soap opera, Joia Rara, is also doing poorly, with ratings below 20 points. But the main problem for the Marinho network today is the 19 PM soap opera, Além do Horizonte, which, on many occasions, has the same audience as the 18 PM soap opera, far from the 30 points desired by the network.
Jornal Nacional, the country's main television news program, is one of Globo's products with... most declining audience2013 is also seen as the worst year in its history. In 2012 and 2013, Rede Globo's main program registered a cumulative audience loss of 18,4%; in the last decade, the accumulated drop in Ibope ratings totals almost 30%. This year, it doesn't exceed an average of 26 points annually. It's the same bleak scenario for Fantástico, Globo's main Sunday program. The program rarely reaches 20 points.
On other channels, the situation is no different. Record, which in the recent past had some success with its soap operas, now has paltry ratings with the soap opera "Pecado Mortal," by author Carlos Lombardi, formerly of Globo. In the afternoon, it also suffers with numbers that rarely exceed 5 points. Each point in the Ibope ratings is equivalent to 62 viewers in Greater São Paulo. On SBT, after the success of the children's soap opera Carrossel, which gave the channel double-digit ratings, it is now seeing a decline in viewer interest in its new product, the teen soap opera Chiquititas. In addition, there is an excess of reruns on Silvio Santos's TV channel.
Just like newspapers and magazines, which are being overtaken in readership by digital media, leading some titles to extinction.Television is facing a decline in interest from Brazilians, who prefer to watch YouTube videos and get their news from websites and social media. They also prefer to purchase series and films through internet channels, such as... NetflixThe last barrier that still needs to be overcome in relation to changing audience habits is the conservatism of advertisers and advertising agencies, who are still very much tied to television. With audiences migrating to the internet, the product needs to be shown where the audience actually is.