TV's aging audience - and talent

Old people at last! Tom Selleck, 66, is a police commissioner on "Blue Bloods," Kathy Bates, 62, has the lead on "Harry's Law," and Steven Tyler, 62, is a judge on "American Idol." Turns out that the networks, once focused squarely on the younger demographic, are recognizing that the 55+ crowd make up a large part of their viewers. From the WSJ:

Network executives' pitch to advertisers is that the current crop of aging viewers isn't like previous generations, who were winding down their spending at 55. This group buys iPads, redecorates, splurges on vacations and postpones retirement. "People still think of their grandparents when they were 60 wearing comfort shoes and baggy chinos," says Alan Wurtzel, NBC Universal's president of research. "These guys are just fundamentally different."

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Boomers watch some 170 hours of TV a month, or five to six hours a day, according to Nielsen Co.--compared with an average of four hours and 49 minutes a day overall. Almost half of boomers use digital recording devices and stream shows online. "They are the TV generation. It's where they grew up, and it's still their cultural touch point," says Sheron Davis, behavioral sciences director at Omnicom Group's BBDO New York ad agency.

Story does note that the networks still charge advertisers more for shows with younger viewers.