Today’s TV is a social and cultural touchstone, providing common ground for conversation and shared experiences. Watching popular shows or events can connect us with others, from recapping ‘Love Island’ with friends to engaging in the broader cultural conversation around the 2024 Presidential election coverage. Whether we’re laughing at a comedy, predicting plot twists in a drama, or cheering for a team in a sporting event, TV creates lasting memories and offers diverse content to suit various interests and moods, allowing us to escape daily life and immerse ourselves in different worlds and stories.
Broadcast and cable networks–what we think of as “Traditional TV”–excel in live broadcasting, like sports, news, and special events, while streaming services offer a vast library of on-demand content for a flexible and personalized experience. Services like Hulu+Live TV and YouTube TV give us access to both!
Live sports is… everywhere. During upfront week, sports were a key component of every presentation, as were sports stars. Tom Brady, Jason Kelce, Shaq, & Dawn Staley all made appearances plugging the live events that advertisers love to use to reach highly engaged audiences. This year, more than ever before, sports aren’t just for linear. Amazon promoted Thursday Night Football, Netflix announced it will air two Christmas Day 2024 NFL games, Peacock will air an exclusive NFL game played in Brazil, and ESPN showcased content available across cable and ESPN+.
What we’re seeing for the 2024-25 season is an amalgamation of what we consider “TV”. Linear and Streaming are both TV. Movies available to watch on streaming services are TV. Tech behemoths Amazon and Netflix participated in the linear Upfront Week. About half of YouTube viewership happens on a TV screen. Disney, NBCU, and other “traditional” Upfront brands loudly touted their streaming services and how including their brand’s entire ecosystem on your schedules leads to improved strategic audience targeting, campaign efficiency, and cross-platform reach.
The content you’re about to discover is available via streamers, broadcast networks, cable networks, and YouTube–and that’s awesome. There is a wealth of quality content available for us to explore and make a part of our lives. The following pages are written to help you answer the question we face when we sit down to relax: so…what are we watching?
Download our full 2024-25 TV Preview here. For more information contact us.
