Some critics have labeled the last few
years the “Platinum Era of Scripted Television.” But are we reaching a “peak,”
as some researchers argue, or will this surge of creativity continue? And can
the marketplace sustain the growing amount of TV content?
Limit:
12 responses
Many critics have dubbed contemporary television to be suggestive of a “Platinum-Era” of scripted entertainment, an assertion backed by the emergence of unprecedentedly high-quality programming like AMC’s Breaking Bad and Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. The emergence of such high quality programming can be attributed to a variety of factors, but none more so than the pressure exerted on networks by the omnipotent invisible hand of the market. The invisible hand has done away with the once infamous “idiot box” moniker that television used to embody, and the hand was forced by none other than network television’s mortal enemy, Netflix. Netflix and other streaming services have created new outlets for show writers to pitch their scripts to, substantially raising market demand for original television programming. Not only did Netflix and other SVOD services help fill the demand for mass-appeal programming, they also filled the demand for niche programming as they found that these generally small audiences were fiercely loyal to their programming (Leopold).
ReplyDeleteWith the emergence of multiple SVOD services and rampant television network consolidation, it may be asserted that the void SVOD filled in the entertainment marketplace may officially have been filled. Television networks have seen the threat posed by SVOD services, and in turn, have began to retaliate against it. In a November 2017 article from The Hollywood Reporter, Columnist Tim Goodman writes, “NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt, addressing a room full of critics at TCA, had already made some startling claims before he went to his PowerPoint presentation…’Now, while I only have NBC data to share here, I’m sure some of my friends at the other broadcast networks will tell you similar stories.’ If he's right about that, the story they're going to tell in the coming days is an amazing one that, until now, they haven't really shared…And that is that the broadcast networks are making money — in some cases, lots of it — primarily because they've learned how to make significant ad money off of digital views on multiple platforms.”
Network television’s financial triumph during the same year that more scripted television originals emerged across various platforms than ever before is no coincidence (Goldberg). Network goliaths will use these funds to try to destroy SVOD services like Netflix that have been such a persistent thorn in their sides. While they thin out SVOD services’ libraries by pulling their original content from them, they will also use their superior capital to outbid them for quality original programming. This may take place over many years, and can effectively bankrupt some SVOD services that do not have the existing original content to survive.
By the time network television defeats SVOD services, the Platinum Age of television will come to an end. Networks will stop taking risks creating niche programming once competition becomes scarce, they will likely return to creating unremarkable mass-appeal sitcoms and dramas that will be forgotten shortly after watching.
Works Cited
Leopold, Todd. “The New, New TV Golden Age.” CNN, Cable News Network, 6 May 2013, www.cnn.com/2013/05/06/showbiz/golden-age-of-tv/index.html.
Goodman, Tim. “Critic's Notebook: Revenge of the Broadcast Networks?” The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Aug. 2017, www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/will-be-a-revenge-broadcast-networks-1026912.
Goldberg, Lesley. “Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017.” The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2018, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/scripted-originals-hit-record-high-2017-1071899.
Until the last couple of years, the only way to consume our favorite shows was on a real television. However, with Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services, this is all changing. Additionally, with these OTT services coming out with their own original content, it’s making the competition stiff. Due to the restrictions that network television comes with we are seeing extremely similar content across all channels. With Netflix in particular, their rules and regulations for what an original show can and can’t have is a very short list. Take Shonda Rhimes for example, she announced that she would be moving her package of shows from the lucrative ABC network to Netflix. She says she’s doing this because “there’s not necessarily a sense of, ‘You have to make a particular kind of show for a particular kind of branded audience’” (Mangalindan). Essentially, she’s saying she will have more freedom to with her shows what she wants to but was restricted in doing so at ABC. Also, by taking “TGIT” to Netflix, ABC will lose an incredible amount of viewers. It will be interesting to see how the network handles that shift. One could argue that they have been a leading network because of Shondaland, so what will happen when they no longer have that group of shows?
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, the amount of scripted originals on OTT services have soared this past year. Scripted originals reached a peak of 487 shows in 2017 (Goldberg). With 487 shows hitting OTT services, network television definitely has its work cut out for it. Especially considering more and more viewers are turning to OTT services to find their content rather than network television. Additionally, Netflix and Amazon had a lot to with the 2017 jump and it’s even projected that Netflix will spend almost 7 billion dollars on original scripted content (Goldberg). Streaming services hit the nail on the head since they are appealing to a generation that wants easy access. Once you add in the fact that these services are also going to be churning out their own content, it will almost be like network TV will not matter as much anymore.
With more and more content bombarding viewers from all angles, I think it will be hard for scripted television shows to stay alive on network TV. According to the New York Times, even Facebook is coming out with its own version of a streaming service (Koblin). If companies like Facebook are starting a streaming service, what is to stop any other company from doing the same? With all of these companies deciding that a streaming service is where the money is at, there is going to be an abundance of original content. As soon as OTT services take over the majority of viewers, the platinum age of television will be over.
Works Cited:
Goldberg, Lesley. “Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017.” The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2018, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/scripted-originals-hit-record-high-2017-1071899.
Koblin, John. “Crowded TV Marketplace Gets Ready for Three Tech Giants.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/08/20/business/media/tv-marketplace-apple-facebook-google.html.
Mangalindan, JP. “'Scandal' Creator Shonda Rhimes: Why I Left ABC for Netflix.” Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo!, 21 Nov. 2017, finance.yahoo.com/news/scandal-creator-shonda-rhimes-left-abc-netflix-182124114.html.
I believe that the surge of creativity within Scripted Television will continue over the next few years. With changing technology comes more ways for all television shows to get creative with their content and the way their viewers watch.
ReplyDeleteAs Goldberg writes, “Netflix is expected to continue to spend upward of $7 billion on originals, Amazon another $4.5 billion and Hulu an estimated $1 billion, with tech giant Apple also joining the fray last year” (Goldberg). Originals are the wave of the future as viewers would get bored of the same old reality content each week. As much as I love reality television, I would not be able to watch seasons upon seasons of it. Scripted originals such as Orange is the New Black, House of Cards and the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel are too popular to go out of style.
While Freeform senior vice president of unscripted programming and development Kary Mchoul says, “‘Scripted is at its peak and a staple on every network’s schedule – however, unscripted has proven itself to be a mainstay for television and is having a moment’” (Nakamura & Gajewski). My opinion is that, although, unscripted television is popular, can you really call it “unscripted?” The Real Housewives of Orange County are not always fighting over certain issues; producers tell them certain things to say to further the situation and create better drama. The same goes for reality television series like the Maury Show. After being a member in the studio audience, I know that the show is partially reality because the situations are real but producers often try to heighten the talents’ personalities and feelings. As much as Mchoul says that unscripted television is having a moment, I am not sure if that truly counts as unscripted television.
I am unsure if the market place can sustain the growing amount of television content, but I do think that shows that already do well and have high ratings and viewership will continue to thrive. A show like ‘This is Us’ which is a fairly new show will continue to grow for years to come. The television content may not necessarily grow in terms of new content, but more and more shows will continue to add episodes and seasons. According to Nakamura and Gajewski’s research, “A report from FX’s research department released earlier this year observed a total 453 scripted original series in 2016, an eight percent increase entirely attributable to the ballooning number of series on streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu” (Nakamura & Gajewski). This number continued to rise in 2017 as well. One major point is that almost all originals are streamed and most reality shows are live. That could also contribute to why certain genres, scripted or unscripted, are on the rise or not.
Whether the shows are a majority scripted or unscripted, the creative television market continues to grow. Lynch writes, “But Peak TV still isn’t close to peaking, according to new estimates from FX’s research team . . . in 2017, a whopping 487 scripted series aired on broadcast, cable and streaming outlets. That’s 32 more shows— a 7 percent increase —than the 455 scripted series that aired in 2016. Those numbers don’t include the 750-some unscripted series that also air each year.” (Lynch). I do not believe that this number will change much for 2018. Shows are still finding ways to get creative whether they are streaming, on cable, scripted or unscripted. I don’t believe that the “Platinum Era of Scripted Television” is remotely close reaching a peak.
Works Cited:
Goldberg, Lesley. “Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017.” The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan 2018.
Lynch, Jason. “There’s No Stopping Peak TV, as 487 Scripted Series Aired in 2017.” Adweek. Adweek 5 Jan 2018.
Nakamura, Reid, and Ryan Gajewski. “If Peak TV Has Peacked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It?” TheWrap, 16 May 2017.
When I think of the word television I automatically think about my family getting together when I was younger and sitting and watching a show together at the time that it was playing each week- something I looked forward to, something I had to be patient for. Now, it is extremely rare for a family to sit down and watch a show on cable television when it airs each week. Now, streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon have driven people in a different direction. Streaming services are only getting bigger and less and less people are continuing to watch cable television. But it makes sense that some critics have labeled the last few years the “Platinum Era of Scripted Television.” In today’s society, about 6 in 10 young adults in the United States use online streaming to watch television and it is only going to grow from there (Raine). Scripted television’s biggest competition is not only streaming services but streaming services that produce originals. “Streamers make original programs, equal or higher in quality to broadcast and cable. While the total viewership across all television content, on all platforms, has likely increased, the average audience for each hour of that programming is down, significantly” (Shapiro). With the rise of streaming originals, it will be more and more difficult for cable television to stay alive.
ReplyDeleteBut, on the other hand, though it is unlikely, it is not impossible for there to be a surge of creativity. There are people that are avid scripted television watchers but as streaming services increase and come out with more creative ideas it seems hard for television to make a “comeback” even with some creative ideas. For example, Viacom has created a TV strategy to create fewer scripted series. “Viacom has hit the brakes on adding new scripted originals after moving the Melissa McCarthy- and Ben Falcone-produced comedy Nobodies to Paramount Network” (Goldberg). Given that Viacom is deciding to strategize which may seem to be the smartest option it doesn’t seem that changing things around will ultimately give them the success they are looking for in fact, soon enough I believe television networks will stop taking risks simply because they will not be able to come back from mistakes they may make especially with so much competition from streaming services. It does not seem as if the market place will be able to sustain the growing amount of TV content given with the financial aspect. “It’s a difficult game because it’s so crowded, its $5 million an hour or more for scripted television…But on that side is amazon and Netflix that are getting valued a very different way” (Szalai). Although streaming services spend enormous amounts of money they offer more to the viewer than TV can. It’s likely that scripted television will never end but it will never be as successful as it once was.
Goodman, Tim. “Critic's Notebook: Revenge of the Broadcast Networks?” The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Aug. 2017, www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/will-be-a-revenge-broadcast-networks-1026912
Rainie, Lee. “About 6 in 10 Young Adults in U.S. Primarily Use Online Streaming to Watch TV.” Pew Research Center, 13 Sept. 2017, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/13/about-6-in-10-young-adults-in-u-s-primarily-use-online-streaming-to-watch-tv/
Szalai, Georg. "Discovery CEO: Scripted Content Is 'Very Difficult Game' That Is 'Not Us.'" The Hollywood Reporter 10 Jan. 2018. Web. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/discovery-ceo-scripted-content-is-very-difficult-game-is-not-us-1072819
Staff, Wrap. “How Peak TV Arms Race Is Shaping the Way We Make, Sell and Watch (Guest Blog).” TheWrap, 6 Feb. 2018, www.thewrap.com/peak-tv-arms-race-evan-shapiro-shaping-way-make-sell-watch-guest-blog/
Asking if there is a peak to the television industry’s creativity is a strange question. When a person gets writer’s block, they don’t stay blocked forever. The same rule would have to apply for an industry full of creative people. Television critic, David Bianculli claims that the “Platinum Era of Scripted Television” began in the late 1990s with “The West Wing” (Champagne). If this era started almost twenty years ago, then it is nearly at its end. The Golden Age of Television lasted from 1949 to 1960 and if Platinum Age follows that pattern then its peak was in 2009 (Everett). Meaning, we are on the brink of a new era of television.
ReplyDeleteEach Age has as purpose. The Golden Age was focused on “the proliferation of original and classic dramas produced for live television during America's postwar years” (Everett). The Platinum Age is focused on dramatic storytelling that keeps the viewer entranced. Therefore, the Platinum Age in itself is the natural evolution for television. It is the step following the Golden Age. Creativity does not dissipate as time goes on. One era’s creativity inspires the next to make something even better. “The Twilight Zone” led to the creation of “Black Mirror.” It opened the television industry up to science fiction in a way that was easy to understand and utilized themes from the current world’s atmosphere. “Black Mirror” has capitalized on what “The Twilight Zone” did by utilizing current attitudes about the inventions in their episodes. The show will usually make the invention a terrible contraption that only becomes horrendous because of the social stigmas or attitudes surrounding it.
As all television continues, I have no doubt that the creativity will only expand by leapfrogging over whatever preceded it. I think that the television industry is past the peak of the “Platinum Era of Scripted Television” based on how long other eras have lasted and that it is time to look towards the next one.
The only way for all of this creativity to be acknowledged, appreciated and accepted is to ensure that the marketplace can sustain it. The only way that the marketplace can sustain the continued upsweep of creativity, is for critics to weed out the subpar for the average viewer. “Music and book critics have had to face this onslaught issue years before film or TV critics” (Goodman). The sheer mass of authors, singers, bands and musicians that flood these two industries is astounding. Television critics might have to keep an eye on how these critics decide what audiences should be listening to or reading. How do writers like James Patterson continued to get noticed and why do audiences follow him? How did Rihanna become an international sensation? In what way can the same happen for television?
Champagne, Christine. “5 Reasons Why We're In The Platinum Age Of Television.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 3 May 2017, www.fastcompany.com/3065202/5-reasons-why-were-in-the-platinum-age-of-television.
Everett, Anna. “"Golden Age" of Television Drama.” The Museum of Broadcast Communications - Encyclopedia of Television - Golden Age of Television, www.museum.tv/eotv/goldenage.htm.
Goodman, Tim. “Critic's Notebook: The Evolving Role of Criticism in the Peak and Platinum TV Era.” The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2018, edit.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/criticism-peak-tv-era-1075572?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s Today in Entertainment_now_2018-01-20 10%3A47%3A31_rrahman&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie.
As we see a change in the way consumers watch television, so has the way in which television is created. Cable networks have always provided viewers with what entertains best, which is mostly scripted content. Some researchers are now arguing that with the new wave of Over The Top streaming services, scripted content is at its current peak, and if there will be a decline in creativity from here on out. However, with an increase in subscriptions for these OTT services, there has become more of a demand for scripted series. Netflix was the first to get their own original content out there with series including Orange is the New Black and House of Cards, and Hulu has begun to follow with successful series such as The Handmaid’s Tale. HBO has also competed with these newer services too with their popular scripted series Game of Thrones.
ReplyDeleteWith these OTT services, along with other services, creating original scripted content, its drawing in many more subscribers and causing people to trim or cut their cable plans. However, that’s not stopping some from changing the dynamics of their channels. Viacom, for example, recently announced that they would be taking a break from the scripted series across their spectrum of channels including BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, CMT, VH1, and TV Land. “CMT announced Nov. 17 that Nashville would end with its sixth season in 2018,” according to an article posted in The Hollywood Reporter from Lesley Goldberg. She later included a quote from Paramount Network’s president Kevin Kay, “I wouldn’t rule out that there’s going to be some scripted in the future, but at this point, we will go back to what CMT was before Nashville: an unscripted network that did well” (Goldberg 2017). From a consumer perspective, I feel like this may not be the wisest decision on CMT’s part.
I know that Nashville has been quite successful during its run, and has even made a profit from the music they have created from the show as well. I also understand that not every show can last forever, and it does become difficult to keep the storyline going. Only in rare cases can a series last for an excessive amount of time on the air. However, I do believe that scripted series have been the key to being successful with consumers, not only through streaming services, but also with cable networks.
In another article posted by The Hollywood Reporter, “[i]n a study conducted by FX, the total number of scripted originals reached another record in 2017, hitting a total of 487 (up 7 percent from 455 in 2016)” (Goldberg 2018). From this we can understand that scripted series tend to do well with consumers and have made an increase within the past year. Especially if you look at how much streaming services are spending on scripted series, it shows how invested they are and that they believe they will be successful with consumers. “Together, Netflix and Amazon are spending more than $10.5 billion on original content this year alone… Streaming services are unlikely to slow their spending anytime soon” (Huddleston Jr.). I feel that scripted series will be around for longer than we think, and with many talented minds coming forward to share their writing, more scripts may be produced by these successful streaming services more than we may expect.
Works Cited
Huddleston, Tom. “Why 'Peak TV' Is Further Away Than We Think.” Fortune, 24 June 2017, fortune.com/2017/06/24/peak-tv-original-scripted-series/.
Goldberg, Leslie. "Viacom's TV Strategy Emerges – Fewer Scripted Series as Networks Rebrand." The Hollywood Reporter 20 Nov. 2017. Web.
Goldberg, Lesley. "Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017." The Hollywood Reporter 5 Jan. 2018. Web.
I find it super intriguing that critics are now saying that scripted television has now reached its peak and that reminded me of the black scripted-tv boom of the nineties. Even though they were mostly sitcoms; once the market place knew how to capture a certain audiences they were able to create other television shows in replacement of that to capture all market niches. The peak that researchers are claiming is definitely apparent because broadcast television networks are competing with OTT services, such as, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. These OTT services have been creating popular content for a while now, so broadcast television has been trying play catch up to keep their viewers from cord-cutting or cord-trimming into skinny bundles. Therefore, obviously there is going to be a “peak” phenomenon in the world of television today.
ReplyDeleteFor a very long time, Broadcast TV had put out certain television shows to fit out certain markets when it came to to the genre of the content. For example, the TGIT lineup on ABC, which is only a lineup that caters to only drama television. Now that broadcast television has to compete with OTT services that just dump out scripted television at unprecedented rates just trying to reach any demographic that they can, broadcast networks are trying to do the same. According to an infographic created by FX Networks Research, in 2017, 153 estimated television shows were launched that year by broadcast tv alone. (Goldberg) That is to be compared to the 117 that were launched that same year by OTT services. This shows that broadcast tv has somewhat found a way to get and keep their markets, but they are taking notes from OTT services and just making it their own way. With that being said, one thing OTT services are known for is launching content with a diverse creative cast and crew. Broadcast television is still playing catch up with that. The only known content creator of color at one point in time was Shonda Rhimes.
With Rhimes now moving from creating content on a broadcast network to now creating content for Netflix, an OTT service provider, this has kind of shaken up the television atmosphere a bit. Working with a broadcast network, content creators are constraint to certain limitations because at the end of the day, it is the advertisers that are actually paying for your show to be continually funded. Rhimes talks about how on Netflix, it is not about the “‘You have to make a particular kind of show for a particular kind of branded audience… '”(Mangalindan) mentality that broadcast networks typically have. She now has free reign to produce the type of content she wants. This is something that content creators and producers are now looking for that broadcast networks either need to get along with the ‘program’ or find a middle ground in.
As previously said, network television is not new to this whole peak in a genre that is grativating viewers at a big rate. In the 1990s, there was a big surge in sitcoms that had black leads and content creators. Once the networks knew how to keep those viewers by introducing other shows that catered to all demographics and not only black people, those shows had diminished. In an article that talks about the Black sitcom boom on Refinery29, Dr. Roberta Coleman, an expert in Black media and pop culture, talks about how "In the '90s, executives wanted to capitalize on the young white audiences that were tuning into The Cosby Show," Coleman says. "They thought, Hey, let's get these young viewers with disposable income to tune in to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!" (Davis). This shows that network executives know to get viewers, but in today’s media landscape, it is the question of how to retain them. Therefore, there is a sustainable marketplace for surge of tv-shows in today’s market, broadcast television just needs to grasp a new technique to get and retain viewers for ratings.
Works Cited
DeleteDavis, Arianna, et al. “What Caused The Black Family Sitcom To Disappear?” Black Sitcoms 90s TV Shows Cancelled, Reasons Why, www.refinery29.com/2016/09/124823/black-sitcoms-90s-tv-shows-cancelled.
Goldberg, Lesley. "Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017." The Hollywood Reporter 5 Jan. 2018. Web.
Mangalindan, J.P. "‘Scandal’ creator Shonda Rhimes – Why I left ABC for Netflix." Yahoo Finance. 11 Nov. 2017. Web.
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ReplyDeleteWith Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services changing the way we watch our favorite shows, the competition is getting stronger stronger each year.
ReplyDeleteIf I had the choice, I would choose Netflix or Hulu over watching live television. With streaming networks growing, there revenue is increasing over live television. “Netflix is expected to continue to spend upward of $7 billion on originals, Amazon another $4.5 billion and Hulu an estimated $1 billion, with tech giant Apple also joining the fray last year” (Goldberg). Netflix has a lot of original content including shows like Friends, Stranger Things, Narcos and 13 reasons why that people are attracted too and could watch the episodes over and over again. Watching your favorite show on live television, there is more of a suspense watching the show. But, there has been a decrease in people watching live television. The decrease of watching live television is due to commercials. Nobody really likes watching commercials anymore especially when you can watch a television show a different day without watching commercials. Besides not having a lot of time to watch live television, commercials are one of the main reasons I rarely watch live television. Originals will always have more of an uprising over live television.
I don’t really know if we are reaching a peak with television. With all of the new scripted shows coming out, it can make the ratings of live television decrease. In my opinion, I believe that no matter how much creativity a new television show has, originals are finding a way of taking over what people watch. As Sims said, “I don’t know that we’re in a “peak” phase as much as a time of expansion, as networks realize the best way to create brand loyalty is to encourage quality” (Sims). Even though there are shows that people still watch live, so many people have stopped because of streaming services. With a show like The Bachelor, many people still watch it live because of the suspense. But, I watch it the next day on Hulu because I don’t want to watch commercials.
Our television marketplace is starting to become crowded more and more everyday. As Koblin pronounces, “The three digital giants have signaled to Hollywood that they are serious about entering a television landscape that Netflix and Amazon shook up just a few years ago. Their arrival will make an already hypercompetitive industry even more ferocious. This year, there are expected to be more than 500 scripted TV shows, more than double the number six years ago” (Koblin). With Apple, Google and Facebook showing more content, the revenue of the marketplace will increase. There are shows that are still trying to find creative ways to entertain viewers. So, if shows start to not please viewers, the marketplace will have a downfall. With all of this said, I believe we haven’t reached a peak. But, with all the streaming networks playing originals, streaming networks could take over live television.
Work Cited:
Goldberg, Lesley. “Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017.” The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2018, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/scripted-originals-hit-record-high-2017-1071899.
Garber, Megan, Sims, David and Glibert, Sophie. “Have We Reached ‘Peak TV’.” The Atlantic, 12 Aug, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/08/have-we-reached-peak-tv/401009/
Koblin, John. “Crowded TV Marketplace Gets Ready for Three Tech Giants.” The New York Times, 20 Aug, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/20/business/media/tv-marketplace-apple-facebook-google.html
In an era of readily accessible information everywhere, Googling the words “best T.V. shows of all times,” reveals a list of the best-rated and most viewed shows. Majority of these shows were created in the 1990’s and are no longer running. The argument for television reaching its peak creativity is a weak one and seems to be propaganda for consumers to sign up for whatever streaming service has the “best” original shows. There are arguments to be made for this bloom in creativity but they all seem to be hearsay. In Tim Goodman’s article published on The Hollywood Reporter, he sets forth an interesting point. “Let it be known that subpar television is alive and well everywhere! And for television critics, trying to review all of those shows, many with name stars, big budgets and promoted extremely well, while also trying to alert the public to better series elsewhere (that are most likely smaller scale, less promoted, in a foreign language, or, to highlight another trend, buried in the vast Netflix ecosystem) is time-consuming and difficult” (Goodman).
ReplyDeleteMy issue with modern television parallels Goodman’s claim. The market is so saturated with shows that it’s difficult to actively watch and rate all of them. It’s also important to know that shows are seen in a different light due to the platforms they can be viewed on. If Netflix is doing well, their top advertised shows will do well. They could be terrible shows but if Netflix advertises them to death the shows will get views. This poses a problem for television because it is just an avenue to broadcast content. “Has Anyone Noticed That the TV Industry Has Lost Its Shit Lately,” an article again by Tim Goodman, reports that Netflix CFO David Wells, is not concerned about the company’s content budget as long as “topline” growth continues (Goodman). This furthers my point that streaming services will pump out content if their pockets are lined.
I find it ironic how some of the most discussed shows are on television or have been on television at one point. A friend of mine asked “Do you like art?” To which I responded “Yes.” He then said “Watch Game of Thrones.” A plethora of new platforms available have allowed for mass amounts of content creation. “Why Television Is Better Now Than Ever Before,” an article published on Complex, says that “New media, including web series, sketches, branded content, and the rest of the stuff coming out of the world wide wild west has created a de facto minor league feeder system for television” (Gallagher). I think there is a peak in the creation of content, not necessarily, the quality of content.
Goodman, Tim. "Has Anyone Noticed That the TV Industry Has Lost Its Shit Lately?" The Hollywood Reporter 15 Sept. 2017. Web.
Goodman, Tim. "The Evolving Role of Criticism in the Peak and Platinum TV Era." The Hollywood Reporter 18 Jan. 2018. Web.
Gallagher, Brenden. “Why Television Is Better Now Than Ever Before.” Complex, 12 Dec. 2017, www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/06/why-television-is-better-now-than-ever-before/.
Television is at an all time high in recent years. With streaming services like Netflix and Amazon allowing consumers to binge watch and catch up in their own time. But saying that Television is at a peak and putting a ceiling on creativity is not only wrong, it is not true. I am a firm believer that people are extraordinary and that those people will continue to push the envelope when others do not thing that it is possible. We very well could be at a peak of television; the original content that has come out has been fantastic. Stranger Things was a huge hit, Ozark, The Following, and Handmaids’ Tail. All of these shows are stellar and have been created after the “peak.” Creative people don’t sit still and let analytics tell them that the world is too small for their new ideas. “Netflix is expected to continue to spend upward of $7 billion on originals, Amazon another $4.5 billion and Hulu an estimated $1 billion, with tech giant Apple also joining the fray last year” (Goldberg). This financial commitment from large television distributors is too large for scripted originals to die out in the near future or ever. The need is too high. People want to fall in love with a character and a storyline rather than the dribble that comes out of some of the reality television. If the money is there, then there must be research out there and the belief that they can create a television show that will trump anything that is out there today. The are betting on the creative people of the world just as I would and that is going to lead to something special rather than something dry and boring.
ReplyDeleteCreativity will never stop, but consumer’s interest in shows will. With that being said, I do not think that the marketplace can sustain being bombarded by new shows and new ideas. There are only so many sets of eyes that a show can attract. With OTT services being able to hold onto shows that were aired on network television and keeps them for the customers convenience will allow shows to hang around longer than they would have originally. But if a show simply didn’t have a strong following or the ratings were not strong then the show will die out and will make room for a new show. Just like what has happened for years in the industry. Not every Netflix original is going to be a hit. Not every show works out. They will have to take them down and start over just like everyone else in network television. The marketplace is only so big and it has always been so. The key is being flexible and fluid and adjusting and adapting to fit the market. Network television is reacting to the lack of eyes on their shows by pulling scripted originals. “Recent retreats from scripted programming by networks from MTV to Freeform to WGN suggest that the number of scripted shows is declining.” (Nakamura, Gajewski) This does not tell me that we are at a peak; this says that Network Television is being conservative and not taking risks. Netflix is sinking big money into scripted originals, as is Amazon. Cord cutting and cord trimming puts a small fire under network television and their wallets. I don’t think Network television doesn’t want to be producing scripted originals, They cant afford it; the risk is not worth the reward in terms of financial commitment in the eyes of these networks that’s what the switch to reality tv is saying. If network television had the billions to spend on writers and creative like Netflix and Amazon does then the shoe would be on the other foot. Network would create great dramas and content and Netflix would be left scrambling.
Works Cited
DeleteGoldberg, Lesley. “Scripted Originals Hit Another Record High in 2017.” The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Jan. 2018, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/scripted-originals-hit-record-high-2017-1071899.
Gajewski, Ryan, and Reid Nakamura. “If Peak TV Has Peaked, Will Reality Rise to Replace It?” Www.thewrap.com, 17 May 2017, www.thewrap.com/if-peak-tv-has-peaked-will-reality-rise-to-replace-it/.