Commentary

New Scripted TV Shows Starting Up February 2024: Good Viewing News?

by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, November 15, 2023

Three months. That is all seemingly one network -- CBS-- needs to get scripted prime-time TV programming up and running after its four- to five-month-long strike-imposed production stoppage. Not bad.

This may be welcome news -- to TV executives, advertisers, and yes, even viewers -- unless their attention is pulled elsewhere.

Meanwhile, live, linear, scripted programming on broadcast and cable networks continues to sink even faster in viewership versus previous seasons.

If we have learned anything about modern-day TV viewers/subscribers -- which include new video streaming platforms -- it is that behaviors don't necessarily change overnight.

Perhaps the key, then, will be what happens three months down the road -- how scripted TV shows perform post-strike, especially among loyal (and mostly older) TV viewers.

Just three years ago, we were seeing a different type of disruption. Going into and out of the pandemic, TV productions were stopped almost completely for a much longer period -- anywhere from 7 to 10 months -- before getting back to a full production schedule.

At the same time, consumption changed. Insider Intelligence says cord-cutting unexpectedly accelerated and 2020 ended up with 20 million fewer adults watching TV-- 204.2 million.

But for U.S. TV-watching adults, daily time spent with TV increased by a 9.2%, to 4 hours/31 minutes per day.

Looking at the broader picture -- against the total U.S. population, watching TV or not -- 2020 witnessed a 7-minute jump to 3 hours/34 minutes (from 3 hours/27 minutes in 2020).

What will happen this time, now that a February start shortens the traditional TV season of original broadcast prime-time shows to around three-and-a-half months?

One can imagine that if they are so inclined, networks will continue to offer viewers -- and advertisers -- what may be fresh content well into the summer.

The added benefit would be to make good -- for the big branded TV marketers with more gross ratings points (audience deficiency units, or ADUs) -- what they were guaranteed at the start of the TV season -- which typically begins in the third week in September.

Is there any silver lining to this scenario? That the mid-February CBS start date comes just after the NFL's Super Bowl -- where there can be a lull in high-profile sports TV programming, giving scripted TV programmers a chance to grab some attention.

Will traditional TV viewers ramp up live, linear TV viewing around this time?

Or maybe just shrug their shoulders, and move to the next Netflix series they have not seen yet?

broadcast networks, cable tv, cord-cutting, ratings, streaming, television

2 comments about "New Scripted TV Shows Starting Up February 2024: Good Viewing News?".

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Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, November 15, 2023 at 10:21 a.m.
Wayne, some of those old TV viewing stats you cited are a bit misleading. Typically an average adult is now watching about 4.5 hours of linear TV plus streaming TV per day. If you delete those who do not watch TV per day---about 20%-- the consumption goes up to roughly 5.5 hours. But in either case thses figures have little to do with the amount of primetime broadcast network content that is viewed According to Nielsen about half of all viewing is now attained by linear TV and of this about 20-25%---or 45% of the linear TV total ---is attained via broadcast TV. But that includes all dayparts as well as local station fare, syndicated shows, etc---not just prime time entertainment shows. Our best guess is that broadcast network prime time entertainment shows ---dramas, sitcoms and realities---garner a mere 5% of all viewing time---a far cry from the picture as it stood in the pre-cable/ pre-streaming eras. So while the advent of "better" content on their prime time schedules is, no doubt, important to the networks, it's not a really big deal if one looks at the wider picture.
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Ben B from Retired, November 15, 2023 at 8:01 p.m.

Most of the shows will be only 13EPs this year I don't think it will go to June very few breaks for the shows when they start up in late Jan or to early/mid Feb when broadcast gets the shows back up and running in my opinion.