Deepthink discussion about the so-called millennial generation seems to be everywhere lately. Marketers continue to be obsessed with capturing the demographic, loosely defined as those born between 1980 and 2000. For years, they’ve been the hot culture venerated networks have chased and for whom channels have been created.

But millennials are growing up and out, which means the networks have to rewrite their books on how to understand multi-platform, multi-screen, earnest, engaged and brand-savvy millennials. While this repositioning is not entirely new  in 2013 MTV was starting to prefer "young millennials," setting the stage for the next generation coming up  this year the change seems to be at a head.

"Millennials have become the sweet spot within the sweet spot [of 18-49 viewers]," says media consultant Jim McKairnes, a former network executive who recently taught at Temple University. "The TV experience for them is one they can experience with people in the same room, or with other people via Twitter. If you’re on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, you’re pretty much made [with them]."

Today, TV networks are at a crossroads: Do they grow with millennials and refocus their programming and advertising, or do they freeze in place and let the youth coming up grow into their programming? And regardless of that decision  how do they engage a crowd of cord-cutting, internet-embracing viewers?

"We look at them as people who care about what they eat and where their food comes from, where their kids are eating  and if you look at the world with that mentality, that’s a psychographic," he continues. "Pivot will always be there to provide socially-relevant content that touches on the major issues of the day, and will grow with our audience."

Pivot recently finished its second season of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s HitRecord on TV, a variety show that asks viewers to create content for it based on challenges and tasks, and which now re-airs on Netflix (a key older millennial destination). Meanwhile, the channel has used YouTube celebrities like Franchesca Ramsey to create interstitial content during a Women in Entertainment celebration, carrying discussion over into Facebook and Twitter.

Gen Z is also part of the equation. "We’re trying to think about how to draw them in," says Rees.

As is Fusion, which recently conducted its own Massive Millennial Poll and is looking to serve "non-white millennials," explains chief strategy officer Boris Gartner. For him, there are three key touchpoints for reaching that key audience: focusing on diversity, keeping a youthful point of view, and finding ways to reach them everywhere.

"Our strategy has been ‘let’s see where these young people are consuming content and let’s make sure we have a Fusion brand piece of content wherever they are,’" he says.

The network plans to tie programming in with the 2016 elections, providing wide election coverage and ramping up their investigations and specials. Earlier this year they also announced the creation of short form comedy lab F-Comedy, which will focus on social and political satire  shorts that they’ll test out with their key demographic, soliciting opinions and using the results to decide what shows to take to series. "It’s a reverse pipeline system," says Gartner.

The network wants to stay focused on what it does best, as Hagen notes: coming-of-age stories, tales of young lone heroes who are still to make those choices. To that end, the channel is "doubling down on our commitment to [providing] images, assets, creatives [to viewers]  this is an audience that is really hungry for constant feedback, constant stimulation, and things to talk about."

For example, early this year when Pretty Little Liars was preparing for its new season, the network solicited key art from fans for the show that was ultimately used in print ads; when upcoming new show Shadowhunters news first hit social media, fans of the novel series it was based on began scouring the web for any tidbits  so the network created a show website with regular social postings and a place to discuss what’s to come. Why wait for a premiere?

"We’re always looking for an opportunity to engage the audience and be more involved than just in a commenting way," says Hagen.

Music Choice, meanwhile, has a different kind of programming format, and as such can stretch to embrace both ends of the millennial spectrum. The Music Choice app is set to expand by up to 75 new channels beginning in October, which SVP programming strategy and partnerships Damon Williams says will turn it into "YouTube and Pandora combined." Meanwhile, the linear network MC Play now has an interactive experience so that viewers can link their social media networks and engage while enjoying the content.

"Our strategy is to have consumers live and grow with us," says Williams, who notes the 1990s is "oldies" for their wide, diverse audience. "We want to make sure at the heart of our network we’re reaching a 12-34 audience at all times  but we do have an opportunity to cast a wider net because of our streaming audio channels."

McKairnes points to Fox, which discovered early on that its show Empire was a hit with millennials. "The people who are doing it right are those who say, ‘I have content here that is a TV show but also can find life online,’" he says. "Shows that work with millennials are the ones that are conducive to life in the blogosphere or on the web."

USA Network went all-out with one of its newest hit programs, Mr. Robot, doing whatever it took to bring the show to that key demographic’s attention. While millennials were clearly fond of previous USA shows like Psych and Suits, Robot is in another category entirely. From winning an award at South By Southwest with the pilot, to doing employee screenings at Facebook and Twitter, to having a "Mr. Robot" character online reacting to real-life events like Deflategate  plus releasing the premiere episode online before it hit linear  USA used a laser focus to get the show to the right eyeballs.

It succeeded. "We took the content to those audiences," says Colleen Mohan, VP brand and integrated marketing at NBC Universal. "That’s not being passive, but active."

That said, at heart the USA story hasn’t changed. "We’re still telling our story, but doing it with more flair and putting things out that are authentic and relevant and topical," she says. "It’s about not being afraid to try new things, and looking at micro audiences  then serving content that is specific to that audience. It’s no longer a one-size-fits-all world."

That’s a conclusion many networks wrestle with, no matter what their approach to the evolution of millennials. But without question, the story is changing, and the networks who learn to are the ones who will likely win in this survival of the fittest.

Notes Mohan, "We need to go to school on their behaviors to understand a bit of the future."

Cynopsis Ad Sales: Mike Farina | VP, Sales | 203-218-6480
Cynopsis Job Listings Sales: Trish Pihonak | Director of Operations | 203-899-8459

Copyright Cynopsis 2015