TV, Digital, and Social: A Debate

Abstract

One of the important debates in the social media era regards the future of television. Is TV still relevant? This is both a methodological and pedagogical issue for teachers and students researching contemporary media industries. This think piece addresses the debate in the context of the US media and advertising market. Each spring, American networks sell the bulk of their inventory to advertisers for the upcoming TV season— more than nine billion dollars worth of advertising is sold for broadcast prime-time television alone. Internet advertising, while a smaller market, continues to grow more quickly than any other medium. As digital and social marketing catch up with TV advertising, both marketing and media professionals contest the ongoing relevance of TV as an advertising medium. This piece highlights the growing codependency and integration of TV and social media and also examines the implications of the rise of the “social TV” sector for evolving debates on the future and relevance of television.