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Cable Builds A Bigger Stable Of Shows

  • Variety, Friday, November 28, 2008 10:15 AM

Maybe someone forgot to tell the cable nets that we're in a recession. Just as the broadcast networks continue to emulate the cable model -- fewer pilots, more unscripted fare, more repeats -- the cablers are developing series like they're one of the Big Four.

HBO has a whopping 20 comedies and drama series in development, with talent like Martin Scorsese and Sarah Jessica Parker. On the basic cable side, TNT has so many series on the air and in the hopper that it may expand its schedule next year to three nights of original shows.

Cable honchos say they may be developing with the heft of a broadcast net, but they're still programming fewer hours than the big boys. Another important difference: able's flexible model allows them to expand and contract at will. If the moribund TV advertising business continues to worsen, cable channels are not committed to greenlighting a predetermined number of shows.

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