Hollywood keeps getting battered.
In this instance, we are not referring to the film industry. Instead, we are concentrating on the traditional television audience. When it comes to news and information, the traditional media use to have a monopoly on that.
The reason why this is important is we see the same corporate entities involved. When it comes to film, it is hard to deny that Disney is a major player. It also is the owner of traditional television, including ABC. This was the network that carried the debate between Trump and Harris.
Historically, presidential debates were ratings gold. This is still the case. However, things could be changing very quickly.
Joe Rogan appears to be at the center of it. Of course, he is not the only one. What this means is another shot to the guy for traditional media.
Joe Rogan: Tens of Millions of Views From Trump Interview
Donald Trump sat down with Joe Rogan this past Friday. As I write this, it is less than 48 hours since the video dropped.
Here is the YouTube screenshot.
So far, there are 27 million views. We have to keep in mind the recording is on a number of platforms, including Spotify. In checking that platform, I was not able to see any counts.
Obviously, views can be a bit misleading. It does not mean someone watched the entire video. In fact, if someone started it, only to return later, I believe that would be counted as 2 views if the tab in the browser was closed down.
Nevertheless, this was an historic moment.
As an aside, the Harris campaign has not officially turned down the offer. There is speculation they did but Rogan himself said they haven't told him no (as of Friday night).
If she does appear, we will likely see the same (if not better) numbers. Rogan's format is far removed from the traditional media, whether it is debates or even a traditional interview.
Rogan prides himself on simply having a discussion.
Shift in Politics
Rogan was not the only podcast that Trump appeared on. He seems to have done a number of them, making the rounds. Not surprisingly, it was based upon, from what I can see, on a demographic. He did not appear on the usual "news-types" like O'Reilly, Beck, or Kelly. Instead, he showed up on more contemporary shows.
It seems this is how one goes about reaching the younger audience.
Not to be left behind, Harris, to her credit, also did a podcast.
The point is we are seeing a major shift in how these candidates target people. No longer do you find the masses on the mainstream media. Both appeared on the likes of CNN and other networks. However, the numbers seem to pale in comparison.
All of this is bad news for the traditional media companies.
Viewers Turning Away
The Baby Boomers are dying. This is in parallel with the ratings for the traditional networks.
When it comes to cable news, in the United States, that is the Boomers realm. They were the ones who grew up in that era, remembering when CNN first appeared on the scene.
The Millennials and Gen Z are not cable news viewers. In fact, they are not traditional television watchers. Many of them either are part of the cord cutting brigade or never had traditional cable to begin with.
It is a situation that hurts the ratings of the traditional entities.
Every four years, in the U.S., these networks could count on a ratings boost. The presidential election was a boom time for them. People were tuning in to find out what was taking place. This was on top of the debates, where there were normally 3.
In other words, this is the Super Bowl for news networks.
What does it say when their ratings are in the tank?
To me, this further emphasizes the fragmentation of media. With the likes of Rogan out there, we see podcasts taking people's attention. Just look at the numbers.
If we take the 27 million views and cut that in half, that would be 13.5 million. This could be the number of people who actually watch it. We know not everyone is going the full 3 hours, so we will use 1 hour on average. This is probably low but it drives home the point.
The total is 13.5 millions hours of video watching on YouTube (we exclude the other platforms). That is a lot of time lost to network television.
So what happens if Harris does a sit down with Rogan and another 13.5 million (or more) hours are directed there?
We can see how these numbers grow.
One final thought: If we look at Rogan's best shows based upon views, most of them are 4 and 5 years old. The totals were attained over years.
What will this look like in a year or two? Actually, what will the numbers be in a week? Of course, there will be clips posted by the account, breaking things up into 8 or 10 minute chunks. Those will also generate millions of views over time.
None of this is good for the traditional media, or should I say, the companies that own the traditional media.
It is, however, good for the like of Rogan and other podcasters that are able to tap into this.
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