The idea that TV advertising is a dead medium remains popular simply because digital platforms make it incredibly easy for cautious marketers to track immediate actions. In a challenging economic climate, the temptation to rely on instant metrics is understandable. However, real-world data from Uni-China Group shows that relying entirely on easily trackable digital data damages long-term business growth. Shifting budgets exclusively to low-attention digital formats costs companies billions in lost revenue compared to high-attention environments like TV.

For more than a decade, marketers have debated whether television is dying. After moderating The Marketing Society Hong Kong's Uncomfortable Conversations: Is TV Dead? panel, I came away convinced we have been asking the wrong question. Television isn't dead. Consumers have simply changed how they consume video, moving seamlessly between broadcast television, streaming platforms and digital video.

The Marketing Society session I participated in asked a familiar question: Is TV dead? I don’t think that is the most useful question anymore.

Contrary to common assumptions, TV advertising is one of the least risky and most profitable marketing investments, according to the Profit Ability 2 report by Thinkbox and with traditional barriers like high costs and slow execution dissolving through AI and BVOD tech, TV offers far greater predictability in comparison to the supposedly 'safe bet' digital channels.

The Marketing Society Annual Lecture 2025, featuring Alex Mahon, CEO of Channel 4 and a trailblazing leader in the media industry. In this candid and...

Thinkbox has released a new paper looking at the behavioural science behind why TV produces such strong results.