​Viewers—especially younger ones—may be watching shows on a variety of non-linear platforms, but a group of leading cable programmers told an industry gathering on Thursday that a network’s brand still matters in selling a show to the public.

A clear network brand is one of the key pieces of information alongside talent names, concept, and genre that help viewers decide whether to tune in, says Nick Grad, FX Networks and FX Productions president of original programming.

“I think FX means something to people. I don’t think you can launch a show and say ‘it’s going to be on FX so people are going to watch it.’ You have to market a show. People take in information when you’re marketing something, and I think the fact that it’s on FX is one of those key factors. It’s a roll-up,” Grad said Thursday at the Hollywood Radio and Television Society’s Fall Programmers’s Summit at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

MTV Programming boss Susanne Daniels agreed saying that [the originating network] “sets a level of expectation” for the viewer.

Moderator Andy Greenwald of Grantland.com also asked the group about the latest trend towards the “blockbusterization” of television, with more adaptations of films, comics, and superheroes for the small screen.

Grad acknowledged that having a known quantity can help drive sampling and tune-in, but at the end of the day a series has to be quality television to survive.

“It’s hard enough to get people to watch promotions on your own network when they’re fast forwarding. We have the best marketing group out there and they make the best promos, but it can be tough. And you’re tempted by that advantage [of having a known film or superhero]. But that’s not why we made Fargo. At the end of the day you have to go with the best programming,” Grad said.

With so many outlets delivering content these days, marketing is now playing an even bigger role in determining which pitches go forward into production.

“I think that there’s so much competition now that you think ‘how am I going to break out? ‘How am I going to market it?’” said Daniels.

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