Random Thoughts On The New TV Season

Commentary

• by Steve Sternberg , Featured Columnist, Yesterday

Promotional Malpractice: As I was watching the Emmy Awards, which aired on CBS, I noticed a promo for multiple FX series. I started wondering why there were no promos for ABC, NBC, FOX, or CW.  

 
After all, this is a show about television that gets decent ratings, which is watched by people who are very interested in television, and which is airing right before the new TV season starts.  In other words, the prime target for any network.

Of course, it’s because of the bizarre policy of accepting ads from your real competitors (ad-supported cable networks, premium cable, streaming services), but not from other broadcast networks that, in today’s media world, should be seen as allies.  Broadcast hits like “Empire” and “This is Us” benefit all broadcast networks. It reminds both viewers and ad industry folk that, except for the occasional phenomenon like “Walking Dead,” no venue is capable of attaining the average ratings or reach of a broadcast network.

In what other business does a company refuse to advertise its product to the largest group of customers available?  These aren’t just random consumers the broadcast networks are choosing not to pursue.  These are their prime prospects, whom they know are already watching similar programming, who are at that moment at their most receptive toward receiving a message about other similar TV programs.

There’s simply no question that, were the broadcast networks to promote one another’s new shows, more of them would succeed.  If that’s not promotional malpractice, I don’t know what is.

Netflix Doesn’t Need Disney, but Could be a Real Network Ally:  Disney’s decision to shift its movies including “Star Wars” and Marvel properties to its own upcoming OTT service should not have much impact on Netflix.  While nice to have, Netflix’s success and subscriber base are driven by original content, not theatrical movies that people have already seen (and Netflix’s new deal with Shonda Rhimes is potentially much more significant).  Very few people, if any, will either subscribe or leave because of any deal for acquired programming.

There are so many shows on television these days that people often don’t even become aware of a new show until the first (and sometimes subsequent) season is well underway.  For example, after its first season ended, my wife and I had heard that NBC’s “The Good Place” was worth watching.  We recently saw it was available on Netflix, so we binged the entire first season over two nights.  Now we plan to watch the second season on NBC.

The networks should be promoting the idea of catching up with new shows from the previous season on Netflix or Hulu, and then watching the new season on the network.

Streaming Services Should Experiment With Network Deals:  Wouldn’t it be interesting if Netflix made a deal with a broadcast or cable network to air the first season of “House of Cards,” “Orange is the New Black,” or “Daredevil” during the summer?  Or Hulu airing the first season of “A Handmaid’s Tale” on HBO?  It would serve as great promotion (and additional revenue) for the streaming service and provide the network with original summer programming.  Or, once CBS All Access has three seasons of “The Good Fight” or its new “Star Trek” series, air the first season on CBS (or Showtime) over the summer.  As the broadcast networks are struggling to figure out how to best get into the OTT game and monetize the platform, this could be something worth considering.

The Best New Season TV Series:  ABC’s “The Good Doctor” and “The Mayor,” along with CBS’ “Young Sheldon,” are the standouts.  I haven’t seen the full pilot for FOX’s “The Gifted,” but the clips I’ve seen are promising.  The pilots for ABC’s mid-season series, “For the People” and “The Crossing” also looked good.