The battle between television and online video is far from over. While Google’s Eric Schmidt has declared that YouTube has already won, we recently questioned that claim, arguing that the two platforms offer fundamentally different experiences.

Yet television is undoubtedly changing. Viewers have more control over what they watch, when they watch it and, increasingly, whether they watch the advertising that pays for it.

An unlikely group of science-fiction fans may have just offered a glimpse into the future of television advertising.

Their programme of choice is Warehouse 13, and their campaign to save it demonstrates a surprisingly sophisticated understanding of how television makes money.

When Fans Become Marketers

With services such as Sky+, Netflix and other on-demand platforms allowing audiences to avoid traditional advertising, broadcasters face a growing challenge.

Their business model depends heavily on attracting audiences that advertisers are willing to pay to reach. The more viewers a programme attracts, and the more valuable those viewers are to advertisers, the stronger its commercial position.

Fans of Warehouse 13, facing the prospect of their favourite programme being cancelled, have taken an interesting approach to securing its future.

Rather than relying entirely on petitions and Facebook campaigns, they have focused on something far more likely to influence network executives: advertising revenue.

As demonstrated in this video by Castle Forge Media, supporters have encouraged one another to engage with the programme and its advertisers in ways that could improve its commercial appeal.

Watch the campaign video

It is an interesting strategy. Rather than simply telling the network how much they love the programme, fans are attempting to demonstrate why keeping it on air makes financial sense.

In effect, they have become marketers for the very product they consume.

Can Audience Engagement Be Manipulated?

The campaign raises an interesting question about how television audiences are measured.

Traditionally, broadcasters have relied heavily on viewing figures to determine the value of their programming. Advertisers use those figures, alongside audience demographics, to decide where to spend their budgets.

But what happens when viewers deliberately organise themselves to influence those measurements?

The audience is genuine. Their enthusiasm is certainly genuine. Yet their engagement is being driven, at least in part, by a desire to keep their favourite programme on television.

For broadcasters, this could be extremely valuable. An audience willing to promote a programme, engage with its advertisers and encourage others to watch is arguably worth more than one that simply tunes in every week.

Advertisers may see things differently.

Someone interacting with an advertisement to support a television programme is not necessarily interested in buying the product being advertised.

There is a significant difference between audience engagement and commercial intent. If campaigns like this become widespread, advertisers may begin questioning whether traditional audience metrics tell the whole story.

Three Changes We Could See in Television Advertising

The Warehouse 13 campaign might seem like an isolated example of particularly dedicated fans. However, it could signal several important changes in the relationship between audiences, broadcasters and advertisers.

1. Fan loyalty could become as valuable as viewing figures

For decades, television networks have competed primarily on audience numbers.

But as viewing habits become increasingly fragmented, the size of an audience may become less important than its willingness to engage.

A smaller, highly committed audience that actively promotes a programme could offer greater commercial value than a larger but relatively passive one.

Networks may begin investing more heavily in cultivating fan communities, encouraging social media participation and developing relationships that extend beyond the television screen.

We could even see networks assessing a programme’s value partly through its online following, social engagement and ability to generate wider commercial opportunities.

2. Advertisers could demand more sophisticated measurement

If audiences can organise themselves to influence viewing figures and advertising engagement, advertisers will need better ways of distinguishing genuine commercial interest from activity designed to support a programme.

This could accelerate the move towards more sophisticated television measurement.

Rather than simply counting viewers, advertisers may increasingly want to understand who is watching, how they respond and whether exposure to an advertisement results in a meaningful action.

As internet-connected televisions become more common, there may even be opportunities to combine television’s mass reach with the targeting and measurement capabilities currently associated with digital advertising.

Imagine a television campaign where advertisers can measure not just how many people watched, but how many subsequently visited a website or purchased a product.

The technology is developing, and pressure from advertisers could accelerate its adoption.

3. Audiences could gain greater influence over programming decisions

Perhaps the most interesting possibility is that audiences could become active participants in the commercial decisions that determine which programmes survive.

Traditionally, fans have had relatively little influence beyond watching a programme and hoping enough other people do the same.

Campaigns like Renew Warehouse 13 suggest that this relationship could change.

If viewers understand how broadcasters generate revenue, they can organise their behaviour to make their favourite programmes more commercially attractive.

Other fan communities may adopt similar strategies, potentially creating competition between audiences attempting to secure renewals for their preferred shows.

Networks, meanwhile, could begin actively encouraging this behaviour, recognising that highly engaged communities can help attract advertisers and generate publicity.

A Three-Way Battle for Television’s Future

We could be witnessing the beginning of a three-way contest:

• Fans competing with one another to demonstrate the commercial value of their favourite programmes and secure their renewal.
• Networks competing for loyal audiences that deliver not just viewing figures, but sustained engagement and advocacy.
• Advertisers demanding better measurement to ensure they are paying for genuine commercial opportunities rather than artificially inflated engagement.

If these trends develop, the implications for television advertising could be considerable.

Media buying may gradually shift away from an overwhelming reliance on audience size towards a broader assessment of engagement, loyalty and measurable commercial outcomes.

This could also blur the distinction between television and digital advertising. As audiences move between traditional broadcasts, streaming services and online video, advertisers may eventually care less about the platform and more about the audience they can reach.

The Real Lesson From Warehouse 13

Whether the Warehouse 13 campaign ultimately influences the programme’s future remains to be seen.

What makes it interesting is not simply the dedication of its fans, but their understanding of the commercial forces behind television.

They have recognised that broadcasters respond to financial incentives and that audiences may have more influence over those incentives than they realise.

The campaign also exposes a potential weakness in the way advertising value is measured. If audience engagement can be deliberately encouraged for reasons unrelated to purchasing behaviour, advertisers may need to reconsider what those metrics actually represent.

Television advertising is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. But the relationship between viewers, networks and advertisers is changing.

And if campaigns like Renew Warehouse 13 become more common, the industry’s next major development might not come from a broadcaster, technology company or advertising agency.

It might come from the people sitting on the sofa.