The key demographic or target demographic is a term in commercial broadcasting that refers to the most desirable

demographic Demography () is the statistics, statistical study of human populations: their size, composition (e.g., ethnic group, age), and how they change through the interplay of fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and migration. Demographic analy ...

group to a given advertiser. Key demographics vary by outlet, 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."

Young adulthood

The

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

is one agency defining the 18-34 age group as young adulthood on surveys.

TV

In the case of television, most key demographic groups consist of adults who are somewhere in age between 18 and 54. For example, the key demographic for at least

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

is women with

disposable income Disposable income is total personal income minus current taxes on income. In national accounting, personal income minus personal current taxes equals disposable personal income or household disposable income. Subtracting personal outlays ( ...

aged 18 to 34, as well as

the WB Television Network The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on br ...

("eighteen to thirty-four-year-old 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". Certain

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

s (especially those dubbed "classic") and television outlets may target persons 35 to 64, who generally have more

than

millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s a ...

, in part due to the

late 2000s recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.

, which impeded career opportunities for younger generations.

References

{{reflist Television terminology

Young adulthood

TV

See also

References