Puneet Varma (Editor)

Key demographic

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The key demographic is a term in television ratings that refers to the most desirable demographic group to a given advertiser. Key demographics vary by network, time of day, and programming type, but they are generally composed of individuals who are younger and more affluent than the general public: "Young adult viewers have been TV's target demographic for decades, because they're thought to have less brand loyalty and more disposable income." Most key demographic groups consist of adults who are somewhere in age between 18 and 54. For example, the key demographic for reality television is women with disposable income aged 18 to 34 whereas for the WB Television Network it is "eighteen- to thirty-four-year-old, educated, white, affluent viewers" Television programming is tailored to members of its key demographics: "Despite the increase in time-shifting to watch recorded television and shows on the Internet, the use of television as an advertising vehicle is still determined by demographic characteristics or who is watching at what time." The subset of ratings that only includes the key demographic of 18- to 49-year-olds is often referred to as the "key demo".

References

Key demographic Wikipedia