TV was all about shows. Now, based on the many engaging industry presentations that took place this week, it’s all about the algorithms.
On show after show, NBCUniversal, Disney, Fox, Paramount, Univision, and The CW have spent time promoting new written comedy and drama; Unregistered series a lot of sports and even movies. But in many cases, the availability of the classes seemed more important than the programming with which they were filled. How many featured series can you name from any given network this year?
There is a reason networks are making this shift. As television’s huge time and date audiences are divided among dozens of new-tech viewing opportunities, the crowds watching programs at any given moment are getting smaller. This forces Madison Avenue to get groups of consumers together a little at a time – a Hulu party here, 10 p.m. there. Instead of attaching themselves to specific programs, advertisers try to communicate with their customers by identifying genres. McDonald’s may want to connect a chain of young adults between the ages of 18 and 34. Procter & Gamble needs women between the ages of 25 and 54 in households that earn a certain level of income. There is no doubt that General Motors hopes to reach young consumers in the electric vehicle market.
Not so long ago, all marketers could find what they wanted just by allocating some money to TV ads. Now, armed with data about their potential customer, they are telling media outlets to run their commercials based on so-called “software” technology that will insert the ad during a particular household’s broadcast session or FAST viewing, all according to the type of customers they need to entice. Yes, networks still show TV at specific times of the day, and support those shows with ads aimed at reaching a wider viewership. But even in these cases, networks are experimenting with addressable technology that might send a commercial vehicle to one group of homes and beef sites to another.
In this kind of world, specific performances don’t matter much anymore.
TV seems to have recognized this. Fox, for example, has not released a linear weekly schedule. Even Paramount Global, the home of CBS, which for years has made primetime network unveiling an annual breakfast event, was given only a few seconds to show (breakfast, a key event sponsored by former CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, did not longer after the pandemic).
Instead, attendees heard a lot about the broader format categories in advance; Large media portfolios and placement of content in a place where it can be viewed at the viewer’s leisure. The upshot: Networks seemed to be trying to prove that they had an enormous payload more than they do in sustainable programming concepts. When you’re trying to match an advertiser’s algorithm, in the end, it pays to show that you can put up with a lot of content to capture. In a world where Netflix often spends millions on support concepts and then scraps them for a dime (“Jupiter’s Legacy” anyone?), why try to prove that you have durable vehicles that will be around for seasons? NBC doesn’t need a “Night Court” until 10 seasons lasts to include multiple rounds of promotion. It only needs a few extra hours of viewing which can keep the audience there long enough to see a pre-run on Peacock.
To be sure, some companies respect tradition to some extent. The CW spent a good portion of its presented time Thursday laying the groundwork for shows like “Walker: Independence” and “The Winchesters,” both of which have ties to properties already polished by the network. Disney spent time at a packed show of ESPN esports and Marvel properties to talk about “Reasonable Doubt,” a new director-drama produced in part by Kerry Washington that’s set to be Hulu.
In an industry that has never had a success rate of launching new series above 20% to 25%, however, there seems to be less reason to take risks with new things. Both NBC and CBS dedicate at least one day in their schedules to what is essentially taken over by one programming concept. On NBC, one night is devoted to the Dick Wolf shows in Chicago and another to the “Law & Order” miniseries. At CBS, Wolf gets a night to watch various FBI series. Gambit is television’s linear effort to match the binge-watching that has become such a large part of broadcasting. Viewers can “set it and forget it” and get three hours of things familiar to them, while becoming part of a specific audience that may not be as large as it once was, but likely have enough in common that it’s worth the proficiency-time advertiser’s mind.
Some networks realize that their revenue is likely to come from new activities. The NBCU, for example, appears to have devoted a significant portion of its time to an emotional spectacle featuring Bravo cable network stars promoting BravoCon, a three-day fan event that aims, among other things, to motivate Bravo aficionados to shop for influencer-inspired merchandise. favorites in their programmes. The highlight of the event suggests that NBC has high hopes for what is still a nascent electronic business, but that over time it could generate new types of cash flow, as well as connections with a range of advertisers who might not otherwise seek to look to television as a vehicle. Basic promotion.
Networks may want to be careful not to leave cash on the table. There are good reasons for advertisers to spark their interest in one offering or another. ABC, for example, has had great success integrating different marketers into its “Black-ish” comedy throughout the show’s run. Jerry Danielo, senior vice president of entertainment brand solutions for Disney ad sales, says the stunt was the presenter for a leading character who worked for an ad agency. This nuance allowed writers and producers to portray characters working on assignments for General Motors, State Farm, and Microsoft, among others, without appearing to be forcing advertising messages on the plot. Disney was even able to direct interest in the show into its spin-off, “Grown-ish,” says Daniello, and create alliances that stretched from ABC to cable sister Freeform, where “Grown-ish” airs.
But even those days may fade. Networks and their digital competitors are placing more emphasis on ad formats for streaming viewers, such as the NBCU’s “frame ad” that can surround programming on Peacock, or the new “virtual” product from Amazon Prime that creates the latest advertiser widget or on-screen deodorant without the need for To worry about aligning with a particular plot or story.
It would be silly to decide that stories don’t matter, that actors don’t matter or that directors don’t matter. However, the new reliance on broadcasting is changing the business infrastructure, and as revenue is increasingly generated by capturing a single subscriber’s mass viewing with a few targeted advertising offerings, networks see themselves racing to make new money with some leaving their old business concepts in The same venue that houses quickly canceled series such as “Lone Star”, “Viva Laughlin” and “Animal Practice”.
Don’t give up on everything. After all, the traditional TV segment still makes millions of dollars in revenue each year. Those old shows may be taken out of the trash and used to create a new FAST channel that will generate the flowing impressions that Madison Avenue so craves.
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