Knowing Your Audience: Balancing Three-Party Market through the Upfronts

As our commercially-driven media system is supported by private sector interests, Lotz's research, which discusses the presentation of upcoming network programming, gives us a close up look at the impact audience demographics has on TV broadcast media placement. The "practice, ritual, and celebration" of this process is keenly influenced by the presentation of content that matches consumer demographics. It offers the question: What comes first? The needs of the consumer, advertiser and/or network? As Lotz outlines, it is a balance of all. The "buzz" that drives this tradition in the media industry is ingrained in the demographic of the brands that networks are attempting to attract, and similarly, the demographic of audiences that brands are trying to attract. This practice within the Three-Party Market (Anderson) is related to the selling of/to audiences as it requires knowledge of who wants to sell on/watch these networks.  In an economic sense, it is a competitive advantage to those who have greater knowledge of demographics as they will have the greatest amount of success fulfilling the wants and needs of consumers and brands. It is important to recognize this process and analyze the advertisement strategies implored by all parties and its influences on the media system structure.