Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. up front (adv.) – (informal) in advance
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. up front (adv.) – (informal) in advance
Example: We bought our tickets up front because we thought they would
sell out quickly.
2. sitcom (n.)
– a funny skit based on daily life situations
Example: She was laughing the
whole time while watching her favorite sitcom.
3. cable (adj.)
– refers to the paid-for service where TV channels are delivered through cables
and not by broadcast transmission
Example: The cable TV package I bought lets me watch
over a hundred cable channels.
4. outpace (v.)
– to surpass or be greater in performance
Example: New and exciting TV
shows outpace old ones in terms of number
of viewers.
5. outlook (n.)
– possible future of something or
someone
Example: Businessmen fear the
negative outlook on the economy.
Article
Read the text below.
Read the text below.
In preparation for their fall TV show lineup, US broadcast television networks focused on presenting new
comedy shows to advertisers to attract younger viewers.
From May 13 to 17, networks
hosted “upfronts” or meetings in which executives promoted new shows and
program schedules to advertisers. Upfronts allow advertisers to choose and buy
commercial slots for programs up front,
even months before the shows air.
The four largest broadcast
networks—ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC—plan to produce more comedies than dramas this
year. Currently, 46 comedies and 35 dramas are under development.
Analyst Brad Adgate
from Horizon Media says that comedies have better chances of being selected by
advertisers because sitcoms are
more popular among the 18-49 age groups. Such groups are the same target audiences
of most advertisers.
Furthermore,
comedies help bring younger audiences to broadcast networks like CBS, whose
average viewer is aged 55.
Experts believe that the
major broadcast networks, may have gained between $9.0 billion and $9.2
billion from total upfront sales. Because of recent negative outlook on the economy, however, upfront
sales were lower compared to last year.
Competition has
also been tougher for broadcast networks recently. Several cable networks are already outpacing some traditional networks.
Experts estimated a $9.6 billion to $9.8 billion worth of upfront sales for
cable networks this season.
The online video
industry, on the other hand, held its own advertisement selling meetings called
“newfronts.” Companies like YouTube, Yahoo and AOL are promoting their market
share of young audiences to attract advertisers.
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Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
Why do you think comedy shows are popular among
young people?
·
What do you think will be the effect of
increasing comedy shows on TV? Do you think it would be good to have more
comedy shows? Why or why not?
Discussion B
·
Aside from comedy, what shows do you think are popular
among young people lately?
·
If you were an advertiser, what kinds of
programs would you choose for your commercials? Please explain your answer.