TV is back, but is it?

A bit ago I blogged about my unfounded theory that the writer's strike was good for online advertising as television watchers, short of options, would turn increasingly to the Internet for their content.  Well, Silicon Alley Insider has a post about how surveys show "TV Viewer Ready to Come Back"

Survey: TV Viewers Ready To Come Back

Michael Learmonth | March 18, 2008 11:41 AM

Remember how the writers strike was going to change everything -- beginning with viewers' TV habits? Think again, says media agency Carat: A survey of TV watchers this week says 95% are ready to resume their old schedules as new shows come back on the tube.

But surely some people have abandoned their remote control for their mouse, right? Maybe, says Carat: Of the 5% of viewers totally turned-off by TV, a whopping 11% said they'd be watching more shows online.

One grain of salt: For the TV business, this is an unusually optimistic report. TV ratings have been in steady decline for years, and that only accelerated during the strike. Given that ratings for ABC, CBS and NBC dropped by double-digits during the strike, reclaiming 95% of its pre-strike audience would be great news

If you're really looking to dig in there is a related interview piece with Avenue A/Razorfish SVP Jeff Lanctot which picks up on his assertion that "the strike ended before there was any significant wholesale shift. It sort of ended just in time". The interview goes on to talk about Avenue A/Razorfish's new owners Microsoft (MSFT).  It's worth a read and it's fairly short.

So, I guess according to the Surveys I was wrong, but I guess according to the salted answer, I might not have been too wrong.