or


[06/06/05 - 12:00 AM]
This Is No Joke: TBS Getting Ever Younger Since Becoming Television's "Very Funny" Network

[via press release from TBS]

This is No Joke: TBS Getting Ever Younger Since Becoming Television�s �Very Funny� Network

Top-Rated Comedy Line-Up and Award-Winning Branding Campaign Combine to Drive Ratings Success and Demo Growth

So young, so fast, so �very funny.� In just one short year since rebranding itself television�s destination for comedy lovers, TBS has accomplished the seeming impossible: it has reduced its median age from 40 to 36. Driven by its stellar comedy line-up of hit shows like Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends and Seinfeld; popular original series like The Real Gilligan�s Island; and a new on-air look, logo, tagline and image spots, the network has also garnered strong delivery growth among young adult demos.

�On June 4 of last year, we made a promise to young comedy lovers that TBS would be the place they could find the kind of high-profile, popular comedy programming to which they can relate,� said Steve Koonin, executive vice president and chief operating officer for TBS and sister network TNT. �The unprecedented success we have enjoyed the past year is a direct result of delivering on that promise.�

�Advertisers appreciate a consistent environment that delivers attractive audiences every night and focuses on attributes they can share,� said David Levy, president of Turner Entertainment Ad Sales and Marketing and Turner Sports. �Since the launch a year ago, we have successfully been able to monetize the network�s �very funny� positioning with advertisers who are looking to be part of a distinct brand that reaches the key adult 18-34 and 18-49 demos clients crave.�

TBS�s achievements during the past year have come on a variety of fronts, from programming success to accolades from the advertising industry.

- TBS has reduced its prime median age from 40 to 36, a one-year drop never before accomplished in the television industry (Q1 2005 vs. Q1 2004).

- Prime time delivery of adults 18-34 is up 16 vs. the year leading up to the rebranding, while prime delivery of adults 18-49 is up 9 percent.

- TBS ranks fifth among all television networks (broadcast or cable) in reach among adults 18-49, just behind sister network TNT, but ahead of UPN and The WB.

- Indicating a shift �from Mayberry to Manhattan,� TBS has changed its demographic delivery from C and D counties to A and B counties. In individual markets, TBS household delivery is up 7 percent in New York, 10 percent in Los Angeles, 20 percent in Chicago, 29 percent in Philadelphia, 16 percent in Boston and 26 percent in San Francisco vs. the year leading up to rebranding.

- Everybody Loves Raymond delivers an audience whose median age is eight years younger than when the show aired on CBS.

TBS�s rebranding success includes its on-air image spots, which are generating their own buzz, as well as several awards. The spots center on a fictional TBS call center, where telephone operators answer a comedy �help line.� A wide range of callers, unsure if something is funny or not, call in, get their situation evaluated and receive the official decision on how funny the situation truly is. The image spots also feature memorable characters from TBS�s sitcom line-up, including Seinfeld�s Soup Nazi (Larry Thomas), Sex and the City�s Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson) and Friends� Marcel the Monkey. The campaign has won several prestigious awards and notations, including the following:

- The Lion Award at Cannes, a special award given to ad campaigns.

- New York American Marketing Association�s Effie Award, the gold standard for advertising effectiveness and the only national award to recognize creative achievement in meeting and exceeding advertising objectives.

- Listing by Ad Age as one of the top 10 campaigns of 2004.

- Listing by Creativity as one of the top 10 campaigns of 2004.

- Nomination for the top award at D&AD, the toughest and most prestigious British/Worldwide awards show. TBS�s was the only campaign in the world to be nominated for any prize, and one of only three pieces of broadcast work to win from the United States.

- Nomination given to TBS Wings, one of the on-air spots in the campaign, for an award at the One Show, taking place in late May.

Looking ahead as TBS enters its second year of being television�s �very funny� network, the network is gearing up for the second season of The Real Gilligan�s Island, which promises more comedy, outrageous competitions and island hook-ups. The second season of The Real Gilligan�s Island, in which two teams of castaways compete against each other to find a way off the island, will premiere Wednesday, June 8, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).

In July, TBS is going to give down-but-not-out comedian Pauly Shore a chance to get his career and his mom�s legendary comedy club The Comedy Store back on track in Minding the Store, a show that�s already generating strong buzz throughout the industry. It will premiere with back-to-back episodes Sunday, July 17, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT).

In fourth quarter, Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette, through their Coquette Productions, are bringing British talent Daisy Donovan over to these shores for a very funny show that follows the comedienne across the country as she tries to find her own American Dream.

Also coming up later in the year is a TBS partnership with The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas, climaxing with Earth to America, a two-hour comedy and variety special featuring some of the biggest names in the business, set to premiere on the network in November.

Off-channel, TBS is creating an expanded version of its 1-800-TBS-FUNNY hotline, which viewers can call to hear something �very funny.� The expansion will feature more options and comedic sound bites from TBS programs. In addition, TBS�s home on the Web, tbs.com, encourages viewers to write in with their own personal situations, to see if those situations are indeed �very funny.�

TBS is television�s �very funny� network, serving as home to such hot contemporary comedies as Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, Seinfeld and Friends; high-profile original series, such as The Real Gilligan�s Island, Minding the Store and Daisy Does America; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.





  [june 2005]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· DAISY DOES AMERICA (TBS)
· EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (CBS)
· FAMILY GUY (FOX)
· FRIENDS (NBC)
· MINDING THE STORE (TBS)
· REAL GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, THE (TBS)
· SEX AND THE CITY (HBO)





[09/13/26 - 11:01 AM]
More Stars Join Presenter Lineup for the 78th Emmy Awards, Sept. 14 on NBC and Peacock
The newly announced presenters will join host Emmy Award-winning actor, director, producer and television icon Mariska Hargitay.

[09/13/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: Peacock Debuts Official Trailer, Key Art & New Images for "Friday the 13th" Prequel Series "Crystal Lake"
A prequel to the franchise, the series follows single mother Pam Voorhees who has been unable to shake her grief after her young, sickly son Jason tragically drowned in the town lake almost a year before.

[09/13/26 - 07:01 AM]
Zoinks! "Scooby-Doo: Origins" Has Wrapped Production
A modern reimagining of the iconic mystery-solving group of teens and their very special dog.

[09/12/26 - 10:44 AM]
Diablo Is Coming to Netflix
Blizzard and Netflix are developing a new animated series set in the world of Diablo, bringing the franchise to a new screen.

[09/11/26 - 11:31 AM]
AMC Global Media Greenlights "Point Break"
More than three decades after the events of the original film, a new heist crew inspired by the Ex-Presidents has emerged and the FBI must rely on a mysterious ex-pro surfer with a checkered past to infiltrate them.

[09/11/26 - 10:39 AM]
Video: FOX Sports Unveils Star-Studded FOX NFL Campaign Featuring Tom Brady and Michael Strahan
The first two spots "Break Room" and "Barb" debut today and will be featured on FOX, FOX One and FOX Sports social platforms with two additional spots debuting in the coming weeks.

[09/11/26 - 08:00 AM]
ESPN Films' "14 Days in Gainesville" Premieres September 15 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
The new "30 for 30" documentary examines an unforgettable two-week period in the history of the University of Florida and its football program.

[09/10/26 - 05:01 PM]
Netflix Greenlights and Unveils Ensemble Cast for Mystery Noir Series "Outback" (wt)
Based on the popular webtoon "G'Day," the series builds on the original's dark, mysterious tension while dramatically reimagining its characters, backstories, and relationships.

[09/10/26 - 02:46 PM]
Creative Elements Announced for the 78th Emmy Awards, Sept 14. on NBC and Peacock
The broadcast will feature celebrations of the milestone 30th anniversary of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" with David Boreanaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar, and the 50th anniversary of "Charlie's Angels" with Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd and Jaclyn Smith.

[09/10/26 - 01:01 PM]
Peacock Orders Kennedy Ryan's "Before I Let Go" To Series with Attica & Tembi Locke Showrunning, Malcolm D. Lee Directing
Universal Television's adaptation of the bestselling novel has been ordered to series.

[09/10/26 - 01:01 PM]
Video: NBC Debuts Official Promo & Highlights Key Art for "One Chicago"
The franchise follows the professional and personal lives of first responders and public service workers who lays themselves on the line to save and protect the citizens of the Windy City.

[09/10/26 - 01:00 PM]
CBS Announces 2026 Premiere Dates and Milestones for the #1 Daytime Lineup
The network has held its spot as the highest-rated network in daytime for 40 consecutive seasons.

[09/10/26 - 12:03 PM]
Get Unprecedented Access Inside Las Vegas' Golden Nugget Casino in "Secret Life of a Vegas Casino" - Premieres Tuesday, September 29 on Discovery Channel
Just off the chaos of busy Fremont Street, cameras capture the real-life and often shocking moments that unfold around the clock: unruly guests, high-pressure special events and the relentless efforts required to keep thousands of people safe and entertained each day.

[09/10/26 - 11:06 AM]
Video: Tubi Drops Official Trailer for New Original Horror-Comedy Film "Buzzkill"
When a group of sorority sisters find themselves trapped with a vengeful killer, party-girl Nora (Siena Agudong) knows that the drunker she gets, the more her tipsy memories start revealing clues about who's murdering her friends.

[09/10/26 - 11:06 AM]
Ovation TV to Debut the U.S. Premiere of "Murdoch Mysteries" Season 20 on October 5
Set in Toronto at the dawn of the 20th century, the one-hour drama series explores the intriguing world of William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson), a methodical and dashing detective who pioneers innovative forensic techniques to solve some of the city's most gruesome murders.