Summer’s Biggest Events Are on TV

2. Summer’s Biggest Events Are on TV • The TV new media will be ablaze with stories about the presidential candidates and the Democratic and Republican conventions and a possible confirmation hearing for a new Supreme Court justice. • Sports fans will be glued to their TVs to watch the Summer Olympics from Rio de Janeiro. • The US will host the Copa América Centenario for the first time, with more than two weeks of matches at 10 major US sports stadiums between teams from 16 Western Hemisphere countries.

3. Consumers Drive the Summer Economy • Retail sales should perform well with “full” employment a near reality and inflation and gasoline prices expected to remain low. • More people will be vacationing, traveling and taking to the roads this summer as well spending more time (and money) to improve their homes. • Every community will have its share of festivals, local attractions and outdoors activities, which are likely to see large crowds with more money in people’s pockets.

4. TV Is the #1 Leisure Activity • According to the 2014 American Time Use Study (ATUS) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, TV viewing was #3 of ALL activities with people 15+, at 79.9%, behind sleeping, 100%, and eating, 95.6%. • During Q3 2015, adults, 18+ spent 4 hours and 7 minutes per day watching live TV, with AM/FM radio a distant second at 1 hour and 49 minutes. • Compared to the screen on the largest smartphone, watching TV on a large-screen is a totally immersive experience, which is why HDTV penetration in US homes was 81% during March 2015 and 4K TV penetration will reach almost 50% by 2020.

5. Monthly Time Spent by Household Income and Ethnicity, Q3 2015

6. Summertime Promotions Pack Stores • The National Retail Federation released its 2016 retail sales forecast during mid-February, with a 3.1% increase expected, excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants. • All retail sectors related to the home should experience a summer with active and motivated consumers: furnishing new homes, remodeling existing homes, spending for vacation and travel and shopping for back-to-school. • Carefully review THE MEDIACENTER’s 2016 Calendar of Events Special Report to plan promotions with your clients based on the report’s featured monthly, weekly and daily events.

7. Let the Games Begin • There is no American “sport” more competitive than the presidential election and a substantially larger number of Americans will be watching both national and local news throughout the summer, especially the conventions during late July. • Rio de Janeiro is hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics, August 8–21. With Rio just one hour earlier than the US Eastern time zone, most prime time events will be broadcast live and likely to increase HUT numbers from recent Olympics. • The growing popularity of soccer in the US is sure to bring more Americans in front of their big-screen TVs for the Copa América Centenario matches, June 3–26.

8. We’re on the Road Again • Summer 2016 could be a huge season for the travel industry. After market growth of 5% during all of 2015 to $341 billion, the forecast from Phocuswright has it growing another 11.7% by 2017. • From its TripBarometer survey, Trip Advisor found that Americans plan to spend more on travel during 2016. A Travelex study revealed that almost 67% of Americans are planning domestic vacations. • The United States Tour Operators Association is expecting 2016 to be a “boom year,” with revenues increasing from 7 to 10%, or more.

9. Filling the Tank for Less • With the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline at a level not seen since 2009 and forecast to continue throughout 2016, more families will be able to take road trips during summer 2016. • Gas Buddy’s and the US Energy Information Administration’s forecasts for the average price of a gallon of gasoline during the summer, $2.40 and $2.08, respectively, may already be too high. • Through the first 20 days of February 2016, the AAA reported that the US average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $1.72, compared to Gas Buddy’s $2.04 and EIA’s $1.82 forecasts.

10. Americans Love Their Leisure Time • According to the 2014 American Time Use Study, persons, 15+, spent 5.3 hours per day on leisure and sports activities, second only to personal care activities at 9.6 hours, with 8.8 of those hours spent sleeping. • Of those 5.3 hours, 2.82 were spent watching TV, compared to 0.71 hours socializing and communicating and 0.29 hours participating in sports, exercise and recreation. • TV is the medium for summer-related advertisers who want to market leisure-time products from outdoor furniture to family entertainment venues to landscaping services.

11. Summer Movies Generate More Than Box-Office Receipts • Summer movies also provide tie-ins for nearby restaurants, local toy stores featuring action heroes and heroines and any advertiser who can create a clever connection with any of these movies to increase foot traffic and sales. • Major releases during summer 2016 include X-Men: Apocalypse, Finding Dory, Independence Day: Resurgence, Ghostbusters and Star Trek Beyond. • Now’s the time to spend some quality time with your list of clients and prospects and THE MEDIACENTER’s wealth of reports to create summer 2016 marketing and promotional ideas, with a good mix of television and digital media.