When it makes its debut next month, Better Call Saul will be only one of nine planned original series on AMC this year.

This is a far cry from eight years ago, when Mad Men stood out on the cable network as a big, fearless new drama, transforming what people thought of the channel.

As this month’s TCA presentations continue, it’s clear that each network—whether broadcast, cable or online—wants to program their schedules with bold new drama series, in search of the next Mad Men that will attract bigger audiences.

In the ever-changing and crowded market of TV programming, each network is battling for attention, and to many, that means finding the next big original (usually scripted) story to tell. Channels like AMC have proven that sometimes the big bet is the right one, making waves with originals Mad Men, then Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead.

Programming costs rose 9 percent on broadcast networks and 13 percent on cable in 2014, according to MoffettNathanson Research. And The New York Times says this dedication to originals is going to keep rising, which also means creative talent is more in demand than ever.

“The environment is more competitive than ever before,” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC, who says he’s had to fight growing competition for good programming in recent years.

Read more at The New York Times.

Brief Take: With more networks in on the originals game, more resources are going to developing that next big hit, especially since broadcasters and cable executives now have to fight a growing number of digital programmers (Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, etc.) for the same series idea and the same talent base.

[Image courtesy of CBS]

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