TV Down: Can Digital Pick Up The Slack?

Today, local NBC affiliate WFLA News Channel 8 announced that, due to tough times, they are cancelling their 11 am newscast and will no longer offer a 10 pm newscast on WTTA Channel 38. The change will take effect April 30th, and comes following a steady stream of bad news regarding parent company Media General's Tampa properties. The publishing and broadcast company lost $85.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Across the country, TV viewership is down, and most of the remaining viewers take advantage of TiVO and DVR technology which allows them to skip advertisements. Brands are shifting ad dollars away from television- but to where? In tough economic times, brands must reach people while they are away from home and in the marketplace, or risk losing customers to low-cost generic brands. The timeliness of outdoor advertising, coupled with the flexibility of digital makes digital billboards a unique and effective solution for advertisers, but it's still a relatively new medium.

Those who are jumping on board early (Carrabba's, Outback, Tampa Bay Downs, Knology, Snickers, Universal Studios, St. Luke's Eye Center, etc.) are positioning themselves to be leaders in what will inevitably become a popular solution to a common problem.