A NEW PRIME TIME

http://news.com.com/2009-1043-5116866.html As the fall TV season kicked off this year, media companies got an unwelcome surprise: According to an influential ratings report, key parts of prime-time audiences--young men in particular--seemed to be deserting in unprecedented numbers.

Media moguls, loath to concede that such an important group of viewers was being drawn to other entertainment media, immediately blamed bad data and programming miscues. But analysts pointed to a far more troubling culprit in the form of growing competition from newer technologies such as the Internet, DVDs and video game consoles.

"What is frustrating to everybody is the big question: If they are not watching prime-time TV, what are they doing?" said Jack Loftus, senior vice president for Nielsen Media Research, the influential company that produces weekly ratings for the television industry.