Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | B | Broadcasting & Cable

The UN of television: it is a small world after all. Satellite providers and cable operators are finding a new market of viewers who are new to the United States--or at least don't want to forget their ethnic roots.

Article Excerpt
EAST MEETS LOCAL

Asian TV viewers want to be recognized. Representing a collective buying power of over $363 billion, their median income is 35% higher than the national norm.

Still, only $100 million was spent last year on advertising to the 13.5 million Asian-Americans in the U.S., according to Asian-American Advertising Federation estimates. In contrast, media-buying firm Magna Global estimates that approximately $4 billion was spent on Spanish-language media.

Asian TV is difficult to generalize. There are dozens of different languages, and 70-plus Asian-targeted networks position themselves as tiny premium services.

Just who is watching those networks will become more apparent as Nielsen rolls out its local people meters. LPMs now provide ratings for Asian-Americans in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

In January, KTSF San Francisco, a nearly 30-year-old station operated by privately owned Lincoln Broadcasting Co., became the first Asian station to subscribe to the service. Says General Manager Michael Sherman, "The Nielsen numbers give us even more credibility with advertisers."

Getting reliable numbers has been a stumbling point. "One of our biggest problems is that too many cable channels and leased-time brokers are constantly exaggerating their numbers," Sherman says. -When we first started with Asian programming, people just shook their heads. Now Asian...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!