The TV networks have Royal Wedding fever.  The put things in perspective, based on whats planned, we didn’t see this much coverage for the Super Bowl or the recent bombing of Libya.  Here’s what NBC, ABC and CBS have up their sleeves.

Of course, none of this includes the war CNN, FNC and MSNBC will wage against each other for live, non-stop coverage.  What we’re asking ourselves is this:  Will it be a big network pay day or a bust here in the states.   Did the networks do meaningful research to estimate how much coverage to offer, or is this another bragging-rights-rush to win the story?

A British minister said 2 billion people will watch.  But how many Americans will watch?  On one hand, they may not have any choice, as it’ll be inescapable.  But is there really such consumer and advertising interest to demand such media tonnage?  We’ll have to wait and see how this shakes out — but while it’s certainly not research, we can’t find many clients (or friends) who seem to care or have plans to  cover the event.  That doesn’t meant it won’t be a success.

Maybe The Royal Wedding will be ratings gold, but if it turns out to be a non-event or just mediocre ratings wise, it’ll serve as a good reminder that consumer research and effective polling about what to cover, and where to pool resources, is never a bad idea.  And in the age of on-demand entertainment and news, older media like TV and Radio have to get it right.