Advertiser Attitudes Regarding the Substitutability of English-Language Television to Reach Foreign Language Target Audiences

Abstract

Scholars have examined media substitutability from many angles, but few, if any, studies have examined substitutability of advertising on the basis of language. Using a price sensitivity test, this exploratory study examines advertisers’ attitudes toward the substitutability of English-language advertising among U.S. foreign language television advertisers to reach their target audiences. Advertisers overwhelmingly (90%) indicated that they did not consider English-language television as an acceptable substitute for reaching their target audiences. This finding has implications for media ownership and mergers, providing evidence that foreign-language television and English-language television exist in separate product markets, and should aid future policy discussions.