• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, April 7, 2025

Traditional TV networks -- and growing streaming platforms -- continue to look for ways to cut costs.

Even when it comes to earned media -- otherwise known as the consumer and trade press.

Now, for the second time in a row -- and possibly for the near future -- a Television Critics Association meeting that happens twice a year, in the summer and the winter, isn't happening. Its July/August summer event, which happens before the fall season start, has been cancelled.

The presser/meeting typically comes at a key time period for TV networks/streamers in getting TV critics, reporters, and business journalists in one place for a couple of weeks to promote their new programming -- launched mostly in the fall -- but increasing for mid-season starts in January/February -- and other time periods.

The bottom line is that the costs to a TV network for a multi-day event can be $100,000 or more. In addition, TV productions sometimes need to be delayed because of the TCAs. And then there is transportation, hotel costs for the cast, and executive producers all to appear in hotels in Beverly Hills or Pasadena where the events are typically held.

These press events were originally stopped due to the pandemic in 2020. Virtual presentations popped up, offering a modicum of media messaging for new shows about to start.

Now what? Well, networks still do mega upfront presentations in New York during upfront week (the second week in May -- where advertising and marketing executives are invited to preview TV networks' new content.

While it’s true that audience targeting and other metrics have almost entirely replaced the program targeting by media agency-buying executives, major brands still find value in adhering to “contextual” program media buys for specific brands.

All that brings us back to how to see what the near term future brings and what is really important to TV networks when it comes to promotion of content in the consumer/business newspapers, magazines, and websites.

That said, to save costs, now bigger TV networks and streaming platforms have increasingly been running their own special press days events -- recreating in part what the TCA events provided.

Still others believe the cancellation of TCA events was not all about cost and production disruption. Many networks were increasingly being battered by hard-line questioning by critics and reporters.

It made these multi-week events less about promotion and more about TV networks explaining and defending the reasons behind their casting, scheduling and even cancellation decisions.

All this comes as social media takes on a bigger role in consumer behavior when it comes to media and entertainment interest, as well as program discovery in the modern TV-streaming world.

Pure play digital-first streamers -- like Netflix, Apple TV+ and Prime Video -- must be shrugging their shoulders over these fewer mega-consumer press entertainment-only events.

The media world is now bigger, more diversified, and yes, more disruptive than ever. The challenges in getting big time press for one’s new TV show never stop. Hello TikTok, Instagram, Snap, and other crucial media platforms.