Some critics have labeled the last few
years the “Platinum Era of Scripted Television.” But are we reaching a “peak,”
as some researchers argue, or will this surge of creativity continue? And can
the marketplace sustain the growing amount of TV content?
Limit: 9 responses
As of late last month (January 20th, 2018) Breaking Bad turned ten years old. However, despite that age, Breaking Bad manages to still hold the title of the 5th highest rated TV show on IMDB. It’s for this reason and more that I would argue that Breaking Bad might be the posterchild for peak TV. But what does it mean for peak TV if its posterchild is ten years old?
ReplyDeleteLooking at the article “If Peak TV has Peaked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It?” by Reid Nakamura and Ryan Gajewski we can see that there is a clear slowdown on scripted series. While the total amount of scripted series is increasing, we also see that there is a trend towards the consolidation on scripted shows (Nakamura and Gajewski). For instance, many channels are funneling their scripted series into one channel, the Paramount Network, whereas others, like MTV and Freeform, are just getting rid of their scripted shows in favor of reality TV (Nakamura and Gajewski). Although perhaps MTV is not the best example as it’s always been more on the reality TV side of things, but it’s a trend nonetheless.
So does that mean the era of Peak TV is ending in favor of reality TV? Honestly, I don’t really think so. Just because there is a slowdown on hit scripted programming doesn’t mean there is a slow down on it being released and even at that there are still hits being released. They just might be being released in unexpected places, like Netflix and Hulu and Amazon Prime. These three non-traditional content providers have consistently put out hits over the last three years or so since they really got into creating their own content.
Looking at another article, “’Scandal’ creator Shonda Rhimes – Why I left ABC for Netflix” by JP Mangalindan for Yahoo Finance we can see that a big creators, like Rhimes, are starting to take their services to nontraditional content creators because of the sense of freedom and lack of restrictions that come with it.
That all being said, there are a few other changes happening because of the transition happening in the ear of peak TV. Looking at the article” In the Era of ‘Peak TV’ Is the Fall Premiere Season Still Relevant?” written by Scott McDonald for Forbes we see that because of original content being released on SVOD services that there is a severe dent in the need for a Fall Premiere season. Netflix, for example, drops new content on a monthly basis and does not limit itself to one season. The article mentions that this Fall Premiere Season had been on the decline for some time, 30 years or so, but the rise of SVOD services and specifically them releasing their own content has only served to accelerate that trend.
So looking at the situation as a whole, I think it is safe to say that while we may be reaching a peak in creativity for scripted content on cable and broadcast networks as they shift towards reality television, there is definitely a sharp increase in good original content on nontraditional programing providers. This expansion to SVOD services will certainly provide the room for continued creativity or even growth of creativity of scripted content.
Works Cited:
Mangalindan, JP. “'Scandal' Creator Shonda Rhimes: Why I Left ABC for Netflix.” Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo!, 21 Nov. 2017, finance.yahoo.com/news/scandal-creator-shonda-rhimes-left-abc-netflix-182124114.html.
McDonald, Scott. “In the Era of 'Peak TV' Is the Fall Premiere Season Still Relevant?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 14 Sept. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/scottmcdonald1/2017/09/14/in-the-era-of-peak-tv-is-the-fall-premiere-season-still-relevant/#5720eafd6da7.
Nakamura, Reid, and Ryan Gajewski. “If Peak TV Has Peaked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It?” The Wrap, 17 May 2017, www.thewrap.com/if-peak-tv-has-peaked-will-reality-rise-to-replace-it/.
I think that this peak has not been reached yet with regard to the Platinum Era of Scripted Television. I believe it’s more of an adaptation. A study conducted within the last year from FX found that the total number of scripted originals are actually reaching higher records (Goldberg). It has increased by up to 7 percent in the last year. Netflix and Amazon are pushing the TV networks to put more money into scripted content, and hope they come out with the same quality as Netflix and Amazon. Today, those networks are being forced to focus less on scripted television and more on reality shows. That way, real people can relate to an audience better than what a few people writing the scripts can come up with. This is a preferred style of production because it actually costs these networks less than hiring prestigious actors.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason for going into a more reality-based style is because it can reach so many different people. There are a variety of demographics and different walks of life which can be found appealing to the average person. Let’s face the fact that the concept of the nuclear family from the 1930’s does not exist anymore. Today you see different races, genders and even different types of family dynamics! Scripted television is difficult to manage because each show might only reach one platform. "Each platform reaches a different audience, and we want to get as many of them into the tent as possible,” (Goodman). Since each show might reach only one platform and each platform might reach only one audience, networks are almost forced to make many different shows to reach many different audiences. Today, the target is younger generations because they are going to OTT services and digital devices. The older generations are the only ones who are actually watching what network television has to offer.
Out of approximately 100 of the top FX telecasts, 66 of them in 2017 were NFL games (Staff). What does this say about scripted television? Is scripted television really doing that good with a viewing audience? NFL TV fees have gone up 69 percent since 2011, and there has been a 29 percent drop in their audience since 2013 (Staff). Because there are more reality-based shows showing issues involving how serious someone can get hurt in football, less people are choosing to support the NFL. In turn, less people are letting their kids play the game. “Friday Night Tykes” is a great example of a show that promotes children playing football, are taught to hurt other children, and get injured themselves. The core audience for the NFL has decreased. Only about 51 percent of men between the ages of 18-49 watch the NFL. That is down from 75 percent four years ago. So if sports go, will reality TV takes its place?
These television networks are constantly adapting to the ever-changing media environment. Instead of having 10 shows focusing on 10 different things, networks now have 5 quality shows that focus on 10 different things. Networks realize the best way to create brand loyalty is to encourage quality (Garber). Now more than ever, quality is what seems to matter to the networks. Their focus is on capturing an audience that will not leave them for another series or show; viewers that will stay loyal because the identity of the show is similar to the person watching it.
Works Cited
DeleteGoldberg, Lesley. “Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017.” The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2018, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/scripted-originals-hit-record-high-2017-1071899.
Goodman, Tim. “Critic's Notebook: Revenge of the Broadcast Networks?” The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Aug. 2017, www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/will-be-a-revenge-broadcast-networks-1026912.
Staff, Wrap. “How Peak TV Arms Race Is Shaping the Way We Make, Sell and Watch (Guest Blog).” TheWrap, 6 Feb. 2018, www.thewrap.com/peak-tv-arms-race-evan-shapiro-shaping-way-make-sell-watch-guest-blog/.
Garber, Megan, Sims, David, Cruz, Lenika, Gilbert, Sophie. “Have We Reached 'Peak TV'?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 12 Aug. 2015, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/08/have-we-reached-peak-tv/401009/.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon is reducing its spending on original content. That is why they cancelled “Z: The Beginning of Everything” after beginning production of its second season. Could the reason for the show’s cancelation be due to the high volume of scripted television series on the playing field? Whether the show was popular or not, it may have been canceled for a strategic reason on Amazon’s part.
At what point do we simply have too many scripted television shows in the mix? David Zaslav, CEO of Discovery Communications, said that “three years ago, there were 250 scripted series; this year there will be over 500 scripted series. Everybody is going there.” Just like Grey’s Anatomy may be running out of medical procedures to televise, the television industry may run out of ideas as well. As much as I wish I didn’t feel this way, the creativity among scripted television shows may slow down- I don’t know if it could ever stop, though. This is the reason why certain television shows start to mimic their predecessors. To prove my point I could exemplify Sex and The City and Girls because they are basically the same show.
For the past year, companies have started shuffling their programs across their cable brands (Goldberg). On the other hand, Nickelodeon is still creating plenty of scripted content. Perhaps, things like this could be the cause of Viacom’s degeneration over the past decade. I know I wouldn’t be alone in hoping that my best television shows aren’t behind me. As much as I love my guilty pleasures, I have hope that my next favorite television show is still out there whether it is SVOD or not. I think scripted shows may be at their peak, but down the line there could very well be another "peak".
Just as Zaslav said, there are more scripted series today than there ever have been before. It seems as though a new pilot airs every week, but not every one is a success. I think the market can handle the growing amount of television content for two reasons. The first reason is that not ever show becomes a success. The great shows become separated from the mediocre and the mediocre never last as long as the truly great series. The second reason is due to SVOD. Scripted series are popping up everywhere and everyway: Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are only new to a game that has been played for decades. Because people have more way of watching television than ever before, there becomes a larger need for television. That is why I think the television industry will be okay.
Works Cited
Goldberg, Lesley. "Amazon Axes Zelda Fitzgerald Series Months After Surprise Renewal." The Hollywood
Reporter, 7 Sept. 2017, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/
amazon-axes-zelda-fitzgerald-series-months-surprise-renewal-1035838. Accessed 12 Feb. 2018.
Goldberg, Lesley. "Viacom's TV Strategy Emerges – Fewer Scripted Series as Networks Rebrand." The
Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2017, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/
viacoms-tv-strategy-emerges-scripted-series-as-networks-rebrand-1059732?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_mediu
m=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%20Today%20in%20Entertainment_now_2017-11-20%2007:07:35_rrahman&utm_term=
hollywoodreporter_tie. Accessed 12 Feb. 2018.
Szalai, Georg. "Discovery CEO: Scripted Content Is 'Very Difficult Game' That Is 'Not Us.'" The
Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2018, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/
discovery-ceo-scripted-content-is-very-difficult-game-is-not-us-1072819. Accessed 12 Feb. 2018.
While scripted series has certainly been on the rise recently, the question still remains as to how long the reign of creativity can continue. The Hollywood Reporter claims that the scripted phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down. “In a study conducted by FX, the total number of scripted originals reached another record in 2017, hitting a total of 487 (up 7 percent from 455 in 2016)” (Goldberg 2018). Whether the scripted series are being aired on traditional cable networks or SVOD services, viewers are still coming together to feast on the content.
ReplyDeleteA major role in the rise of scripted series is not necessarily due to a spark of creativity. Over the past few years, a key component to new scripted series is revival series. For example, classic television shows such as Gilmore Girls, Full House and Roseanne are reuniting to create new scripted series based on the original. These revival series aim to reach an older audience and bring them back to the newer methods of watching television. The two pioneers of the revival ages, Gilmore Girls and Full House, chose to air their series on Netflix, while newer revivals such as Will and Grace and the upcoming Roseanne air on traditional broadcast networks. Although the platforms for these series vary, the ratings still spark. According to Zimbio, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life has emerged as the most "binge-raced" Netflix show globally. In other words, most subscribers finished the revival in under 24 hours” (Trowbridge 2017). The same goes for Will and Grace. According to Forbes, “The new season’s premiere episode drew 10.2 million viewers and a 3.0 adults 18-49 Live+Same Day rating, making it NBC’s highest-rated comedy telecast since The Office's series finale in May 2013” (Purcell 2017)
I definitely believe that we are at Peak TV with many content creators reviving old shows because they are truly fresh out of ideas. But this trend doesn’t just stop at scripted shows. Reality TV is jumping on this bandwagon as well. For example, American Idol and Jersey Shore are set to come back in the early spring lineup. An article posted on The Wrap talks about how networks such as MTV and ABC are “viewing scripted’s loss as reality’s gain” (Gajewski & Nakamura 2017). While I do not foresee reality TV completely overtaking scripted series, I do think that certain networks like MTV can benefit from this trend.
The marketplace is certainly capable of handling the amount of content planned for the future. With Apple and Disney planning to launch their own streaming services in the upcoming year, this gives shows new platforms to experiment on. Plus with the Disney/Fox merger underway, the pool of major networks in dwindling down. This can lead to competition between these networks to create the best content, which will only lead to more series being produced. Although whether these series will be any good is completely up in the air due to a lack in creativity.
Works Cited
Goldberg, Lesley. “Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017.” The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2018, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/scripted-originals-hit-record-high-2017-1071899.
Nakamura, Reid, and Ryan Gajewski. “If Peak TV Has Peaked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It?” TheWrap, 16 May 2017, www.thewrap.com/if-peak-tv-has-peaked-will-reality-rise-to-replace-it/.
Purcell, Carey. “Following Success Of 'Will & Grace,' NBC Looks To Revive 'The Office'.”Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 19 Dec. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/careypurcell/2017/12/19/following-success-of-will-and-grace-nbc-looks-to-revive-the-office/#744a9b5d28a1.
Trowbridgeon, Cecily. “The 'Gilmore Girls' Revival Was the Fastest Watched Netflix Series Globally, Which Could Mean More's to Come.” Zimbio, 18 Oct. 2017, www.zimbio.com/TV+News/articles/ck4voRGZMS6/Gilmore+Girls+Revival+Fastest+Watched+Netflix.
It’s obvious that just within the last few years, we’ve seen the amount of scripted television shows shoot throught the roof. This has gone hand-in-hand with the large variety of new platforms that we view these shows and how they’ve solidified themselves as a new form of mainstream television. In order to keep up with such companies as Netflix and Hulu, many broadcast companies have also picked up the pace in their production of scripted television shows which is why many have dubbed these recent years as the “Platinum Era of Scripted Televison”. As noted by Lesley Goldberg in a 2017 study, “In a study conducted by FX, the total number of scripted originals reached another record in 2017, hitting a total of 487 (up 7 percent from 455 in 2016). That was again fueled by an increase in content from SVOD outlets like deep-pocketed Netflix and Amazon (up from 90 to 117).” In fact, Netflix has surpassed cable in total subscribers with US cable companies at 48.61 million subscribers versus Netflix with 50.85 million (Morris). Audiences are being hit with more shows than they have time to view or even know what to do with. As Tim Goodman notes, “In the Platinum Age of television people are being told by friends, co-workers or cousins about countless fascinating shows out there. They are overhearing people in cafes and bars mentioning a disparate collection of must-see series, and they can't keep track of the sheer number of suggestions.”
ReplyDeleteSome will argue that we’re working towards a peak in the originality behind these scripted shows and I think that’s obvious in some of the shows we’re seeing. One can see a million dramas that all follow a similar plotline, similar issues and no true originality (a lot of hospital dramas, just saying). And yet, I don’t believe we will ever hit a peak in scripted television simply due to the amount of nontraditional ways we now have to watch television. We have certain streaming services that exist today that some audiences haven’t even heard of. We also have so many original shows on streaming titans like Netflix and Hulu that we’re either complete misses or just went unheard of from the popular audience. But what matters and what will keep scripted television away from reaching a peak, is if the hits keep coming. As long as these networks (cable or broadcast) can keep finding success with certain shows, then they’ll be able to keep their audiences. And while certain shows we see today can fail and be completely unoriginal, they also come with shows that feature entire originality. It’s important to note that this increase in scripted television has come with some of highest quality shows we’ve seen in television history and while the bar has been set high, it can only continue up from here.
Goldberg, Lesley. “Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017.” The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2018, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/scripted-originals-hit-record-high-2017-1071899.
Goodman, Tim. “Critics Notebook: The Evolving Role of Criticism in the Peak and Platinum TV Era” The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2018.
https://edit.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/criticism-peak-tv-era-1075572?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%20Today%20in%20Entertainment_now_2018-01-20%2010:47:31_rrahman&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie
Morris, Ian. “Netflix Is Now Bigger Than Cable TV” Forbes, 13 June, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianmorris/2017/06/13/netflix-is-now-bigger-than-cable-tv/#4fa21160158b
If you’re an avid TV fan you’d like to believe that this golden age of TV we are living in will never end. Whether you subscribe to cable or have cut the cord, there is no shortage of original programming being produced to satisfy viewers. It feels as if Netflix produces a new original show every week and trying to keep up with every new show on broadcast or cable is no easy feat. The phrase “America’s #1 new comedy” has lost some of its meaning when you hear it attributed to five shows a month. The question that arises is whether or not the marketplace can sustain the exponential growth of TV content.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of scripted programming on TV has shot up tremendously the past few years, “In a study conducted by FX, the total number of scripted originals reached another record in 2017, hitting a total of 487 (up 7 percent from 455 in 2016). That was again fueled by an increase in content from SVOD outlets like deep-pocketed Netflix and Amazon (up from 90 to 117)” (Goldberg). Broadcast and cable networks mostly stayed the course in terms of the total number of original shows they produced last year but the ceiling for original content clearly hasn’t been reached. The fact that there are more shows than ever can certainly be one of the reasons ratings are down. When there are more options for consumers it is only logical that the number of viewers for each show would decline to some degree. The primary reason this may not be sustainable is the increasing costs of producing an original scripted show. The ratings across the board are down yet the costs are higher than ever. There are some who believe the first $20 million per episode series is on the horizon because “The more money you have chasing productions the higher the prices will go. The new reality is there are new companies with massive, global customer bases – Amazon, Netflix and now Apple coming in – that can afford these big budgets” (Sweeney). Games of Thrones raised the bar to $15 million an episode and this year may be the first time a show gets a $20 million episode budget. New players in the media marketplace make it inevitable as Apple, Amazon, and Disney are trying to make a foothold with original programming. These are companies with wildly deep pockets that won’t bat an eye at these numbers if it means big audiences.
The peak may have already passed which leads some experts to believe that the next wave of television is on its way. The problem is what will that next wave be and how can we predict it? There are some who believe reality will make a strong comeback due to the fact that, “Unscripted has proven itself to be a mainstay for television and is having a moment, Freeform senior vice president of unscripted programming and development Kary Mchoul tells TheWrap. “It also allows us to react to trends in a quick and efficient way that allows us to be part of the zeitgeist and puts talent in the driver’s seat.” (Nakamura). Freeform and A&E have already announced they will no longer be making any original scripted content which could be the canary in the coal mine for the scripted TV bubble that might be primed to pop.
Goldberg, Lesley. “Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017.” The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2018, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/scripted-originals-hit-record-high-2017-1071899.
Nakamura, Reid, and Ryan Gajewski. “If Peak TV Has Peaked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It?” TheWrap, 16 May 2017, www.thewrap.com/if-peak-tv-has-peaked-will-reality-rise-to-replace-it/.
Sweeney, Mark. “Will the New TV Golden Age Produce the First $20m per Show Series.” The Guardian, 11 Feb. 2018, www.theguardian.com/media/2018/feb/11/will-the-new-tv-golden-age-produce-the-first-20m-per-show-series.
In recent years, scripted television has steadily climbed, providing a constant abundance of new and creative content. This trend has given viewers the luxury of expecting a continuous surge of content, but it is doubtful that this trend will have longevity. Evan Shapiro discusses this trend in his blog post How Peak TV Arms Race Is Shaping the Way We Make, Sell and Watch, and stated “The number of original series on TV has increased 87 percent [and] the cost of the average hour of original television programming has gone up about 75 percent”(Shapiro). With this high of an increase, how can the television industry stand to keep the pace in the long run? Eventually, costs will become an issue, as well as the ability to create content that is different enough to catch the eye’s of viewers.
ReplyDeleteAnother issue that will become problematic is the increase in niche audiences. With an increase in selective television, gaining a wide variety of viewers will become more difficult. The idea of niche audiences is discussed in the article Fresh Off the Boat and the Rise of Niche TV. Amanda Lotz states “viewers have many more options, and they can now watch shows how they want, when they want. As a result, television no longer functions as a mass medium, but as a niche medium”(Lotz). This can have positive and negative impacts on the television industry. It allows networks to take more risks in content, but it also comes with the implication that some shows won’t be viewed by as vast an audience, as they would have years ago.
Another shift in trend that has exposed the decline in creative content, is the recent increase in reality television. Reality television stands to be a great fall back for networks that are finding trouble producing new scripted shows. John Landgraf discusses this idea in If Peak TV Has Peaked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It? Landgraf notes “reality TV — cheaper to produce than prestige dramas — looks like a safe bet in uncertain times”(Landgraf). A cheaper cost is key for networks that grow wary of spending outrageous amounts of money per television series. With a steady demand for reality tv, networks can count on success if and when scripted shows begin to experience a demise. It is stated that “scripted is at its peak and a staple on every network’s schedule — however, unscripted has proven itself to be a mainstay for television and is having a moment”(Landgraf). Television networks may be peaking in terms of the production of scripted content, but will continue to have success by supplying audience’s demands, whether it be with scripted content or non-scripted content. Ultimately it will be difficult for the market to sustain such fast growth within television content, and it seems likely that the industry will experience a shift in trend in coming years.
Amanda Lotz Associate Professor of Communication Studies, University of Michigan. “Fresh Off the Boat and the Rise of Niche TV.” The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2018,
Nakamura, Reid and Ryan Gajewski. "If Peak TV Has Peaked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It?" The Wrap 17 May 2018. Web.
Shapiro, Evan. "How Peak TV Arms Race Is Shaping the Way We Make, Sell and Watch," The Wrap 6 Feb. 2018. Web.
Theirs no denying that scripted television is thriving and has certainly earned the title as the “Platinum Era of Scripted Television”, however, recent data shows that scripted television may be reaching its peak and could soon have a huge downfall.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article "If Peak TV has Peaked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It?" by authors Reid Nakamura and Ryan Gaewski, there is a very noticeable drop in scripted series. Nakamura and Gajewski stated, “While the total amount of scripted series is increasing, we also see that there is a trend towards the consolidation on scripted shows” (Nakamura and Gajewski). Freeform senior vice president of unscripted programming and development supported this statement when he stated, “Scripted is at its peak and a staple on every network’s schedule — however, unscripted has proven itself to be a mainstay for television and is having a moment” (Nakamura and Gajewski).
However, others seem to have contradicting opinions, as The Hollywood Reporter claims that scripted television has shown no sign of slowing down or losing progression (Goldberg). "In a study conducted by FX, the total number of scripted originals reached another record in 2017, hitting a total of 487 - up 7 percent from 455 in 2016" (Goldberg 2018). This proves that viewers are interested in receiving this content, whether it be aired on traditional cable networks, OTT services, or SVOD services; and scripted series are still in high demand.
Over the past few years, scripted television has somewhat revamped its image, and that is why I believe it is still so successful; recently, we have seen a lot of scripted series doing reboots and revivals. For example, popular television shows such as Full House, Gilmore Girls, and Roseanne have reunited to create revamped shows based off of their original content. Because these shows aren't new but rather rebooted/revival series, they reach a specific audience that is guaranteed to tune in and view this content. That is, the audience that is nostalgic and tunes in to get in touch with their childhood. TV critic Hank Stuever stated, “there's a point where nostalgia becomes more like necrophilia, and "Fuller House" immediately crosses that line. Exhumed on the pretense of millennial desire (you loved the show as kids; you'll love it even more as stunted, binge-watching adults)" (Stuever). I for one am a sucker when it comes to watching shows that tie me back to my childhood, and I know several people that are the same way. The concept of reboots/revivals is a safe bet for the most part, and it has proven to be successful.
Overall, this form of creativity by rebooting and reviving old shows has been a great success for scripted television, and I do think the marketplace is more than capable of handling the amount of content that will continue to grow in the future. However, if they want to continue to see success, they must continue to push boundaries and increase their creativity, because reboots of originals shows will only get them so far as the bar has been set high.
Works Cited
Goldberg, Lesley. “Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017.” The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2018,
Nakamura, Reid, and Ryan Gajewski. “If Peak TV Has Peaked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It?” The Wrap, 16 May 2017
Stuever, Hank. "You Already Know ‘Fuller House’ Is Bad. But Are You Adult Enough To Resist It?." Washington Post. 2016.
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ReplyDeleteThe “Platinum Era of Scripted Television” is going strong and will continue to grow. It is going to increase rapidly to the already breached bar of content shock. The current surge of creativity for scripted shows will keep rising, but there is so much competition that only content that has a very strong, consistent and inviting following can survive.
ReplyDeleteIn 2018 alone, there will be more than 800 scripted series and movies, which is already doubling the past two years (Szalai, 2018). When people are choosing what to watch, they are no longer just scrolling through a channel guide. Little is left to chance since there is so much content but only so many hours in a day. They seek out what they want to watch. If they hear their best friend is watching a scripted TV show such as BBC’s Sherlock, then they are going to tune into BBC America over NCIS.
Critiques are wonderful when you are recommended a show and are considering watching it. However, I have yet to meet a person that watches a TV show just because it was critically acclaimed. The hidden gems that most critics don’t have the time to write about are usually the only with the strongest followings, but there is such a content overload that it can be hard to find small shows that are wonderful when they have to compete with the huge-budgeted shows that may be a waste of time (Goodman, 2018).
The current marketplace can sustain the growing amount of content, there just has to be more balance. Everyone who is making scripted content should ask themselves: Is it worth putting scripted content in an already oversaturated market or is there another market/industry that we can enter instead?
Here is a great example: the application Snapchat is currently working on a series of scripted content, but the app’s internal metrics tell us that they really shouldn’t. Their scripted content would be under their category of “Discover,” but the 40 unscripted shows that are already shown there only receive 21% of the app’s users daily (Burch, 2018). There is no proof or reliability that their scripted content will fare better than the unscripted. It just adds to the overload of content that is already available.
While many media companies are in a rush to expand and push more and more content out, not everyone is taking the same approach. Viacom is trying to downsize and only create content that is successful globally and has been proven to be of interest (Goldberg, 2017). Shows with a strong following such as South Park are going to survive because its pop-culture model is known to work and viewers have a feeling of nostalgia when watching certain episodes.
While scripted television series are getting better, shows that aren’t doing well should not be pushed as it creates clutter that gets in the way of excellent content. Rather than creating new content, media companies should focus on what already works and build its fan base.
Works Cited
DeleteBurch, S. (2018, January 15). New Snapchat Scripted Original Content 'Imminent,' Content VP Says. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from https://www.thewrap.com/snapchat-original-content-imminent/
Goldberg, L. (2017, November 20). Viacom's TV Strategy Emerges: Fewer Scripted Series as Networks Rebrand. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/viacoms-tv-strategy-emerges-scripted-series-as-networks-rebrand-1059732?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s Today in Entertainment_now_2017-11-20 07%3A07%3A35_rrahman&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie
Goodman, T. (2018, January 18). Critic's Notebook: The Evolving Role of Criticism in the Peak and Platinum TV Era. Retrieved February 13, 2018, from https://edit.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/criticism-peak-tv-era-1075572?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s Today in Entertainment_now_2018-01-20 10%3A47%3A31_rrahman&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie
Szalai, G. (2018, January 10). Discovery CEO: Scripted Content Is "Very Difficult Game" That Is "Not Us". Retrieved February 13, 2018, from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/discovery-ceo-scripted-content-is-very-difficult-game-is-not-us-1072819
I am of the belief that regardless of the amount of television shows or platforms for them to be produced there will always be an audience for quality, scripted television. The article If Peak TV has Peaked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It? Argues that because networks such as MTV, Freeform, and WGN are shying away from scripted television it is written in the tea leaves that scripted TV has reached a saturation point. I would disagree with this point; scripted content is not on the decline, but rather shifting away from broadcast and basic cable. There is little need to go over the advantages that VOD services and Premium Cable providers have over broadcast and cable television for the audience. I would argue that these networks are switching over to reality television because it is cheaper to produce and therefore it is easier to get a return on investment for the struggling networks.
ReplyDeleteI believe we are moving more towards a future in which consumers choose the content they get in an al a carte style. People don’t want to waste their hard earned money on a cable package that gives them 1,000 networks and they only watch 4 of them. It is much more cost efficient to get a Netflix subscription, and borrow their friends HBO GO password, and use YouTube as well as other social media sites for the rest of their content. In this system networks that do not provide quality content go away and the VOD services as well as online platforms take their share of the profits. The quality scripted content people desire shifts away from AMC, FX, and the networks and goes to Netflix, HBO, and the internet. This creates a cycle in which people look for content to watch on these platforms once they’ve finished whichever show they were binging because they already have the subscription.
In the world we live in today a show’s success is heavily based on it’s online hype, the ability to make waves online. If a show isn’t trending on twitter, or somebodies favorite Internet influencers aren’t talking about it the show has an uphill battle to gain viewership. Because of the nature of the online hype-beast I see that there will end up being a shift towards the future Tim Goodman pleads for in his Hollywood Reporter Article Critic’sNotebook: The Evolving Role of Criticism in the Peak and Platinum TV Era. As a critic Goodman does not want to waste his time watching and reviewing every show that comes out, and in the process watching dozens of shows he loathes. Luckily for him I believe that the job of a reviewer is evolving before our eyes. Reveiwers now do less setting the precedent for what is talked about, but rather they do more critical analysis of what is already getting talked about.
Daniel Newman in his Forbes article, 10 Top Trends Driving The Future Of Marketing shares in my belief that the quality of television programming has not peaked, but rather that there is a greater emphasis upon one brand’s ability to consistently put out quality content. In the article he states, “The need for good content will not slow down. Ever. Content, particularly visual content will rule the roost in the online marketing world, evolving into various forms and disrupting the conventional marketing models. Moreover, the speed at which a brand can create amazing content will play a part in their success.” The speed and quality of content produced by HBO, Netflix, and other content producers are the reason for the decline in quality, scripted television being produced for broadcast.
Work Cited
DeleteNewman, Daniel. “10 Top Trends Driving The Future of Digital Marketing.” Forbes , www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2015/04/14/10-top-trends-driving-the-future-of-marketing/#5d8841305f97
Goldman, Tim. “Critic's Notebook: The Evolving Role of Criticism in the Peak and Platinum TV Era.” The Hollywood Reporter, edit.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/criticism-peak-tv-era-1075572?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s+Today+in+Entertainment_now_2018-01-20+10%3A47%3A31_rrahman&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie.
Nakamura and Ryan Gajewski, provided by, Reid, and Ryan Gaiewski. “If Peak TV Has Peaked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It?” SFGate, TheWrap, 17 May 2017, www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/If-Peak-TV-Has-Peaked-Will-Reality-Rise-to-11151369.php.