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With upfront week approaching and NewFronts week now behind us, the current status of broadcast TV is a topic on everyone’s minds.
Vulture’s “State of Network Television” confirms this – pointing to Fox’s Empire as a major symbol of broadcast TV’s continuing relevance.
The show’s ratings success and subsequent pop-culture impact was something that many in the TV business had assumed was a thing of the past – the Friends and the Seinfelds of the world just may not come along again. But with Empire’s growing ratings and attention-grabbing success, broadcast TV is putting up a fight for the airwaves.
So now what?
According to Vulture, there are some trends to watch out for and a few things that will change this fall TV season, largely because of lessons learned from Empire’s first-season run.
1. Follow ABC’s lead
ABC (and Shonda Rhimes) owned last fall’s broadcast season. While still not quite No. 1, ABC was able to make big moves toward that spot by giving creative control to the master and by marketing block by block. The network relied on themed primetime nights, with Wednesday’s family comedies and Thursday’s Shonda dramas both delivering significant ratings improvement.
2. Reliance on ratings continues to fall
The idea that Nielsen ratings are make-or-break for a TV show is slowly going out of style. Ratings and demographics are obviously still important to networks, but the factors for how successful networks consider a new show have multiplied. A series’ appeal to international markets or streaming platforms is becoming just as important as weekly ratings.
3. We are still looking for the next big sitcom
Arguably the best comedy of the year (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) was meant for NBC but found success on Netflix, so the broadcasters continue to search for a sitcom that will stick. Will Forte’s Last Man on Earth was a minor hit for Fox, while Mulaney and Weird Loners didn’t work out, but neither did CBS’ The McCarthys or The Millers, and NBC said goodbye to its beloved Parks and Recreation. Maybe 2015-16 is the season a sitcom will stick.
4. TV events are here to stay
Event series, limited series and live events are only going to increase. The musicals on NBC, Sound of Music and Peter Pan, have seen big ratings, and NBC and Fox are already in progress on The Wiz and Grease for later this year. The musicals are being joined by variety shows this year, with Neil Patrick Harris’ Best Time Ever for NBC and possibly a Maya Rudolph series as well. FX’s American Horror Story has spurred several anthologies and limited series on broadcast, including Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens.
5. Despite the rise of the DVR, time slots are still important
Scheduling broadcast’s new shows is just as much of a headache as it’s always been, even though much of broadcast fandom watches their favorite shows at a later date. This means that a solid lead-in still matters, so time will tell which next series gets the slot after The Big Bang Theory or Empire.
Read more at Vulture.
Brief Take: NewFronts week was devoted to digital outlets proving how unimportant broadcast outlets are becoming. Broadcasters’ job during upfront week is to prove them wrong.
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