Cable’s Creative Rise
“Mad Men.” “Damages.” “In Treatment.” “Entourage.” “The Daily Show.” “Breaking Bad.”
What do all these television programs have in common? For one, they are major award winners in this year’s Emmy Awards for Television Excellence. And for another, all these programs are only available on basic or expanded cable.
It wasn’t that long ago it would have been unthinkable for producers to put such must-see programming on anything but the “Big 3” (or “Big 4”) networks. But with the steady erosion of major network audiences, the rapid expansion and penetration of cable, and cable’s reputation for targeting narrow audiences and taking chances, this is simply the culmination of events long in the making. Gone are the days when people signed up for cable just to get better reception (or to have 32 different opportunities to watch “Gilligan’s Island” reruns). Today it is the major networks’ turn to serve as the “creative wasteland” of programming, becoming the bastion of the reality-show-du-jour, formulaic sitcoms, long-in-the-tooth favorites and endless series spin-offs. What’s next, CSI: Yakima?
Cable’s creative rise also points to the more important trend of viewer control. Viewers now want to see what they want, where and when they want to see it. Something like 25% of all video viewing (TV and Internet) is now On Demand, and that figure is rising every month. Thirty-five percent of adults have streamed at least one full episode in the last year. And with episodes for purchase on iTunes and mobile interfaces and web browsers becoming the “brave new world” of communications, this trend is only going to continue to pick up steam.
So now more than ever, it’s all about the content. Create something good, and people will find it. If I were the head of programming at NBC, I wouldn’t worry so much about chasing numbers (they may measure “eyeballs,” but they don’t measure “commitment”). I’d go for quality. Something that will build a loyal following. A following that will not only watch because it is the lesser of two evils (150 evils?), but because they believe in the programming.
It worked for Brandon Tartakoff in the ‘80s. And it would work now.
Posted by Mickey
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