Reaching the Next $100 Trillion: Why TV Is the 50+ Growth Channel

Marketers love to chase what’s new - the next platform, the next generation, the next viral spark, but the real story starts with one number: $100 trillion. That’s the wealth soon shifting into the hands of adults 50 and older, the audience television already reaches better than any channel on earth. When you anchor your growth strategy to that scale, “legacy media” suddenly looks like the smartest future investment. The narrative isn’t about nostalgia; it’s about reframing television as the gateway to the most powerful consumers in history.

This audience is not only large but also affluent, digitally capable, and increasingly influential. Over the next two decades, that influence will accelerate. According to Cerulli Associates, $124 trillion in U.S. wealth is expected to transfer by 2048, with nearly $100 trillion coming from Baby Boomers and older generations. Gen X and younger Boomers, today’s 40+ and 50+ consumers, stand to inherit most of it.

Marketers who wait until these consumers are ready to act will be too late. The time to reach them is now, while trust and brand preferences are still forming. And no channel does that better than television.

TV Still the Most Powerful Reach Machine

Linear television remains America’s most consistent reach platform, powered largely by adults aged 50 and older. Each day, U.S. linear TV delivers 21.9 billion ad impressions, with more than 82% coming from viewers in this demographic. Combined, CTV and digital platforms reach only a fraction of that scale.

These impressions carry weight. This audience watches with attention, from news and sports to prime-time programming, and they continue to engage on schedule and in real time.

Television remains the one medium that consistently reaches the audience controlling most of America’s wealth. That makes it more than a legacy channel; it makes it a performance asset.

Rewriting the ROI Story: TV as a Performance Channel

For decades, television was seen as the ultimate brand builder. But today, platforms like Simulmedia’s TV+ prove that it’s just as powerful at driving performance.

TV+ enables advertisers to track full-funnel outcomes (traffic, installs, conversions), not just reach. For example, a global credit brand used Simulmedia’s Incremental Lift Study to isolate the real impact of a national linear TV campaign. The result? A 62% increase in incremental conversions tied directly to ad exposure.

When used right, TV doesn’t just make people aware. It makes them act.

The $124 Trillion Shift Is Already Underway

Cerulli’s 2024 report makes the economic shift clear: nearly $100 trillion will transfer from Baby Boomers and older generations by 2048. That includes $54 trillion in intra-generational transfers, with $40 trillion going to widowed women, a segment too often overlooked in high-growth marketing strategies.

Gen X will inherit $14 trillion over the next decade, while Millennials will gain $46 trillion over the longer term.

This transition is already underway, reshaping the profile of the high-net-worth consumer.

As Gen X and adults aged 50 and older begin managing more wealth, they will invest in homes, health services, mobility, financial advice, and technology-enabled convenience. The advantage will go to brands that have already earned their trust.

They’re Already Spending and Spending Big

The 50+ audience isn’t waiting for their inheritance. They already account for more than 56% of U.S. consumer spending, hold 80% of financial assets, and control roughly 70% of disposable income. By 2030, they will represent nearly 45% of the U.S. adult population.

This generation is entering its operational prime. Many remain active in the workforce, support adult children, care for aging parents, and manage complex households. They are digitally fluent, omnichannel consumers who expect flexibility, transparency, and measurable value.

They’ve adopted smartphones, digital banking, telehealth, delivery platforms, and mobility services. Yet when it comes to media, they continue to turn to television every day.

Life-Stage Targeting: Marketing to the 50+ Consumer Is Marketing to Multiple Needs

The “50+” label hides a diverse set of motivations and priorities. Life-stage targeting reveals three distinct segments with evolving expectations and behaviors.

Ages 50–60: Dual Responsibility Years

Consumers in this group are making significant financial and lifestyle decisions - from 401(k) rollovers and investment planning to college tuition and home improvement. They balance careers, caregiving, and family life across digital and physical environments. They watch both linear and connected TV, making hybrid media strategies essential.

Ages 60–70: Stability and Optimization

This segment focuses on health management, wealth preservation, travel, and convenience. They are key users of hybrid services such as telehealth, online banking, and delivery subscriptions, and they remain highly engaged with linear television.

Ages 70+: Support and Simplification

This audience prioritizes healthcare, in-home assistance, aging-in-place solutions, and end-of-life planning. They continue to adopt digital tools selectively, while maintaining strong loyalty to linear television.

These life stages are fluid. Establishing brand familiarity before major transitions ensures relevance and long-term trust.

Pharma Was First. Others Will Follow

CPM pricing tells the story clearly:

The difference between linear and CTV CPMs from one of the pharma brand campaigns (for January 1, 2025 - February 23, 2025). Data from TV+ Platform

Reaching pharmaceutical audiences is significantly more cost-effective on linear television, yet many marketers continue to prioritize connected TV as their primary channel.

Simulmedia’s success in the pharmaceutical category offers a clear model. Pharma brands trust Simulmedia because:

• We use linear television to reach high-frequency product users with efficiency and scale.
• We connect ad exposure directly to outcomes — prescriptions, inquiries, and conversions.
• We supplement with connected TV when additional precision is needed.

This strategy extends well beyond pharma. It applies to industries where trust, longevity, and performance drive value, including:

• Financial services
• Insurance
• Home improvement
• Travel and mobility
• Automotive
• Technology-enabled caregiving

If your product or service helps people live better, plan better, or move better as they age, television remains the most effective way to reach them.

Build Familiarity Before Intent Strikes

Marketers often wait for intent signals - search activity, clicks, or app installs before investing in reach. By that point, competition for attention is already at its peak.

Television provides the opportunity to build familiarity before demand emerges. It allows brands to engage the 50+ audience early, while trust and long-term preferences are still forming.

This is especially critical as intergenerational wealth transfers accelerate. The 50–60-year-old managing a parent’s estate or inheriting assets is positioned to become a high-value customer. Brands that establish recognition now will lead consideration later.

A Brand Strategy for the Next $100 Trillion

Television is leverage. It remains the only channel that consistently reaches America’s most valuable, and soon-to-be even wealthier, consumers.

The 50+ audience is:

• Expanding in size
• Driving the majority of consumer spending
• Inheriting the largest wealth transfer in history
• Living hybrid digital and television lifestyles
• Open to meaningful relationships with brands that earn their trust early

Simulmedia’s ability to combine linear efficiency with connected TV precision makes it the platform of choice for activating this opportunity.

The 50+ economy represents the next major engine of growth. The brands that recognize its value now will define the decade ahead.