I was reading in Deadline about the CW Network's transition under new owner Nextar Media Group, which was previously owned jointly by Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. Who knows if you find that interesting - your mileage on that kinda news may very - but there was a sentence buried in the article that BLEW MY HAIR BACK.
As Deadline Business Editor Dade Hayes lists off the reasons The CW has been historically unprofitable, he drops this nugget about their audience demographic:
"Historically, shows like Riverdale, All American, Arrow and Supernatural have focused on viewers in their teens through their 30s. The reality, though, is that the average CW viewer is 58 years old...and that schism explains why the CW is the lowest-rated broadcast network."
Holy shit! The age of the average CW viewer is FIFTY EIGHT YEARS OLD? That's four years away from social security. Eight years into AARP. You're on to your 2nd or 3rd colonoscopy.
Now why do I care? How does this affect an acting career?
Because knowing your audience affects every element of business. It affects who the advertisers are. It affects who the network wants to appeal to in choices like CASTING.
It turns out there are a bunch of tweener senior citizens who are really into soapy superheroes and sexy vampires, and realizing that they're your audience can be a part of your creative process.
This post is inspired from this article of deadline: https://deadline.com/2022/08/the-cw-will-become-profitable-network-2025-broader-cheaper-programming-nexstar-1235092173/