Sex a Big Turnoff for TV Advertisers

Posted on: 04/8/08 9:34 AM | by Jonathan McKee

I’ve been researching our highly sexualized media this week in preparation for next week’s discussion forum we’ll have about the recent statistic that “1 in 4 teenage girls has an STD.”

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In my research I came across this interesting little tidbit from Media Life Magazine… sex, violence and dirty talk remain big turnoffs for TV advertisers.

Media Life reports:

And the shows that turned off advertisers three or six years ago still turn off advertisers, and leading that list is “Jerry Springer,” the daytime chat show in which couples often go at each other with foul language and fists.

That’s the finding of a Media Life survey of media planners and buyers that was posted earlier this week asking readers to identity the Dirty Dozen, the TV shows their clients were most inclined to avoid.

Other shows advertisers are inclined to avoid are wrestling, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Cops,” “Reno 911,” “Sex and the City,” “South Park, “Family Guy,” “TMZ,” the new syndicated gossip show, “Desperate Housewives,” “Maury,” “Two and a Half Men,” “The Simpsons,” the syndicated court shows, “Cashmere Mafia,” “Dexter,” “American Gladiators,” “Nip/Tuck,” “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila” and “Rescue Me.”

Hmmmmmm.