Audio Video News

Rumors of network television's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Despite a declining viewership—several studies have shown that a smaller proportion of the population than ever is watching network TV—the networks are pulling in a record amount of money from advertising. Total "upfront" ad sales—those sold in the spring, before Memorial Day, for the following season—for all six broadcast networks will reach $8 billion, according to several news reports the last week in May. The networks have already sold about 80% of available prime-time advertising slots.

Nielsen attributes the decrease to drooping incomes and alternative media. The research company derived its figures from the 2010 Census as well as a national sample of 50,000 people.

Despite high-definition television's official debut last year, it still has virtually no audience—the equipment needed to receive it is still too expensive for all but the wealthiest early adopters. No audience means no ad revenue, and in the world of commercial broadcasting, no ad revenue means no budget for program development.