There really needs to be a new definition of a hit show -- primarily because they don’t really exist anymore. Perhaps an “ok” show is... okay.
Some cable network executives say
that increasingly, the goal isn’t to get hit shows, but just ones that perhaps work fairly well, with a modicum of profitability -- no more; no less.
The problem comes with an explosion
of programming, not just on cable and international channels, but all sorts of digital video sites including the ever-growing subscription video on demand services Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime
Video.
“If your business strategy is predicated on having hits and hits alone, it’s going to be very fragile,” John Landgraf, chief executive officer of FX Networks and
FX Productions, toldVariety. “We started FX Productions because we couldn’t
figure out how to pay for as many shows as we wanted.”
advertisement
advertisement
And cable networks apparently face a bigger problem, since viewing still isn’t time-shifted as much as shows on broadcast
networks are -- a trend due in large part to many reality TV shows, no doubt.
Now you know why TV networks, more than cable networks groups, have been pushing so hard to get paid by
advertisers for more time-shifting of their commercials -- to seven days, up from three days.
Going forward, expect broadcast networks to push for even more time-shifting, monetizing their TV
shows well beyond seven days in the coming years.
Still, getting those TV successes is on everyone’s mind. At a Bank of American Media Conference on Tuesday, Brian Roberts,
chairman/chief executive officer of Comcast Corp., said the company's stable of networks hasn't produced a "breakout" hit.
Ah. There is
the greed of it all -- looking for a “breakout” hit. Most would settle for “just” a hit -- or maybe even less.