As America ages, "The Golden Bachelor" targets key demographic for advertisers: Seniors

Both the contestants on "The Golden Bachelor" and the show's target audience are distinctly different from past seasons of the long-running series: Its newest star is a 72-year-old grandfather looking for love. And If the show proves to be a hit, it could help ABC lure advertisers looking to target an increasingly important segment of the population as America ages — older viewers.

"The 50-plus generations have a lot more money than younger generations, so I think it makes a lot more sense to focus on that older demographic," AARP film and television analyst Tim Appelo told CBS MoneyWatch. "We are the champion coach potatoes of the world and we also have most of the money."

It's well known that many younger viewers have turned to streaming, and are consuming content on a variety of different devices and platforms. ABC's median viewer age is 64. The median viewer age for ABC shows that stream on Hulu is 42, the New York Times reported.