TV Writers' Strike Could Boost Magazines and Newspapers

For magazines and newspapers, the prospect of a prolonged writers’ strike is offering an upside.

While the strike has crippled parts of the television industry, TV fans are now turning to the print medium as a substitute, according to a poll conducted by WPP Group's MindShare in Advertising Age.

“One out of four adults surveyed said the strike will affect or change their viewing habits. That finding was highest among 35- to 44-year-olds and lowest among those 65 or older. The telephone poll, conducted during the weekend of Nov. 9 among 703 adults, found that 25% of the sample would "most likely" turn to books, magazines and newspapers if a favorite show was not on the air. Meanwhile, 13% said they would "watch whatever comes on at the time my usual TV show is on," and 12% indicated they would watch DVDs or pre-recorded videos.”

Does this mean that magazines and newspapers could soon usurp TV’s majority share of the advertising market? Obviously, this is dependent on how long the strike would continue. But, in the short run, I doubt it.

After all, many networks continue to show original episodes. At present, only original late-night programming including "The Colbert Report" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" has been forced into repeat mode.

Meanwhile, among the TV networks, Bloomberg said CBS could be the biggest loser.

“CBS gets two-thirds of its sales and profit from television. The New York-based company relies more on scripted shows such as ``CSI'' than competitors and is vulnerable to advertising losses, said Lehman Bros. analyst Anthony DiClemente.

Fox will likely gain market share from the strike because of its so-called reality shows, including the top-rated ``American Idol,'' and cartoons."