The reign of reality television may finally be coming to an end with over four in five Australians saying there is simply too much of it, according to a new study by ACNielsen.
In an internet survey of more than 22,780 consumers in 41 markets, ACNielsen found that 83% of Australian consumers agreed that there is “too much” reality television on the air today, six percentage points higher than the global average of 77%.
And it appears that Australian consumers aged 55-59 are the most fed up, with 98% saying there is too much reality TV.
Associate director, customised research – media, Peter Matthew, ACNielsen Australia said: “Considering this genre is targeted towards a younger demographic, it is concerning to see that almost three in four 15-20 year olds believe that there is too much reality TV around at the moment.”
Around the world, Greece, Russia and Spain have the most people who are likely to be fed up with reality TV – not surprising given that Europe started the reality television trend with the export of shows such as Pop Idol and Big Brother.
Out of the top ten markets where consumers were least likely to be tired of reality shows, seven hail from Asia. These include China and India, huge markets that are of great interest to advertisers and marketers of consumer packaged goods; and Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan where TV program production is relatively more developed.
“The genre’s promise of audience attraction has encouraged the production of reality TV programs which leverage additional promotional opportunities when incorporating local celebrities/TV hosts and entertainment elements, designed to engage the audience further,” Matthew said.
“However, given the high proportion of Australian consumers who appear to be ‘tired’ of reality TV, producers should be cautious not to flood the market with this genre.”
