Media Landscapes
In the 21st century, the media landscape continues evolving at such a rapid pace that twenty years ago no one would have understood what it meant to “Netflix and chill”. From radio to television and now streaming, consumers can choose their preferred entertainment from a wide media landscape. Political advertising and its budget has had to grow along with itr.
With so many media platforms and brands, you may be wondering how to hire a professional voice over talent who has the authenticity and versatility to reach your audience. Blue Wave Voiceover’s talent roster includes professional voiceover actors whose experience across various media can be heard above the rest.
From Golden Age of Radio to the Golden Age of TV
In the beginning of the 20th century, instead of sitting in front of a glowing television, phone, or computer screen for an evening’s entertainment, radio was the primary outlet for news or the latest soapy drama (no memes here!). A voice from the radio painted an image in a listener’s mind that later gave way to visual images on a blurry television screen. It’s no coincidence that early TV broadcasts were based on radio programming.
Although the sale of TVs was slow in the beginning, by the 1950s 60 million TV sets were sold. NBC was the first network to transmit a regularly scheduled broadcast of the New York World’s Fair to an audience of 5,000 to 8,000 people. Which seems quaint compared to over 19 million viewers watching (and then regretting) the Game of Thronesfinale.
The Evolution of Premium: Cable TV and Satellite to Streaming
It’s hard to believe but cable television began as a way to transmit network TV into rural areas with poor reception, according to the University of Minnesota. Not until the 1970s did a little known channel called Home Box Office (HBO) become the first successful pay TV – a subscription based service for premium programming. Decades later HBO would usher in the Golden Age of TV but it wouldn’t keep people from cord cutting. Traditional TV broadcasting where consumers only watched scheduled programming, aka “linear TV”, eventually evolved into “nonlinear” where consumers selected programs via an “OTT service” transmitted via the internet like Roku or Amazon that provided an on-demand service. This includes social media and the rise of platforms like Youtube.
Eventually one reason why people began canceling their cable or satellite TV subscriptions was when former DVD-by-mail distributor Netflix began offering Watch Instantly streaming services. Suddenly we didn’t have to wait until the following week to find out what happened next – we could binge an entire season in one sitting! The instantaneous satisfaction begat other streaming services like Hulu, Disney+, Max, Apple, Amazon, Peacock, and Paramount+. Advertising had to accommodate how people interacted with these newer forms of media that were different from traditional television.
Media Options Grow but Consumer Wallets Shrinks
As streamers established their brand and grew in popularity, people had to pay higher subscription fees. In an age where so much entertainment (now known as content) is at our fingertips, streamers are having a harder time retaining our attention and differentiating their brands from the other. Churn rates (the act of subscribing and then canceling within a given time) have tripled in the past four years. Between all the movies and TV shows that are offered, the subscription price hikes, password-sharing crackdowns, and recently introduced ad-supported tiers, consumers are less willing to open their wallets.
Political Advertising in Media Over Time
How has political advertising evolved as the media landscape expanded? Television advertising in its infancy started with one sponsor of a program who in return could control the content. Over time, programs became longer so networks started increasing the ad costs which led from one sponsor to several. Eventually ad placements were sold in 30 or 60 second increments. Dwight D. Eisenhower is considered the pioneer of modern political adcampaigns having spent $9 million – $18 million on his presidential run in 1952. In 2024, it’s predicted that over $12 billion will be spent on political advertising with nearly 72% of it on traditional media.
Social Media has also changed how people experience and interact with advertising on different platforms. With so many options for advertising that can cater to target audiences, from traditional TV to your cell phone, Blue Wave Voiceover’s talent roster has experience in pre-roll videos, traditional radio, satellite radio plus more.
To become more familiar with the different advertising formats for each unique media and their political advertising requirements, see our list below.