I was thinking about how a lot of original programming on streaming ends up as a "loss." However, would moving some shows back to cable be worthwhile? For example, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds could premiere on Paramount Network, and Clone High could premiere on Adult Swim. Inside Amy Schumer wasn't watched the new season on P+, as the entire show was removed as a tax write off, but might have been more on Comedy Central. That way, they launch under a station which people associate different things with rather than a company "umbrella."
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Would moving streaming shows back to cable be beneficial?
- Thread starter tall_guy1
- Start date
Cable TV usage has dropped in the last few years. They call it "cord cutting"
www.pewresearch.org
Cable and satellite TV use has dropped dramatically in the U.S. since 2015
The share of Americans who say they watch television via cable or satellite has plunged from 76% in 2015 to 56% this year.
www.pewresearch.org
Two thirds of households where the primary householder is age 18-44 do not have cable. Even a 51% majority of 65+ households do not have cable.
Why would Paramount or NBCUniversal invest a dime in the cable bundle for 2024?
Why would Paramount or NBCUniversal invest a dime in the cable bundle for 2024?
There are still a few shows which premiere on cable, Yellowstone being the most popular and Comedy Central has Digman (which appears to target 18-34.) Adult Swim also still is going and AMC exclusively premieres on linear as there are still 50 million households with cable (and a small fraction with services like Sling or Philo.)
Which means 73.6 million households don't have cable.
For perspective:
In 2010, 105 million households had cable.
That number is only going down. Streaming is going up. Read Showbuzz Daily's farewell note to its readers:
Some Unfortunate News | Showbuzz Daily
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Looking at the title of your thread, would it be beneficial to whom? Your idea is counter to the trend of what's happening and has been for some time. Media companies are actively moving content OFF their OTA signals and away from their cable channels and placing it exclusively on their paid streaming platforms. When watching the Food Network, HGTV or any number of other channels that are owned by Discovery, one often sees plugs for some really interesting and attractive (at least in my opinion) content...Followed by the message that it's ONLY available with a subscription to Discovery+. You can't get it with a cable or Dish subscription, even if that comes with on-demand. Same goes for Paramount, Universal, Netfix, Amazon, Apple and a whole host of other streamers.
When overhearing people talk about the shows they're really into or what they're telling others they NEED to watch, it's often something only available on a streaming platform..And it's where a lot of folks, especially younger demographics, are happy to view the content they're most interested in. Even sporting events, college, pro and otherwise, are now at times only available via streaming.
Conversely, many are cutting the cord and moving away from cable. In many cases it's become prohibitively expensive, especially for those who only watch a small handful of channels or programs that they can stream for much less than the price of a cable subscription that gives them at least several hundred channels full of stuff they have no interest in and will likely never watch. Adding yet more content that many will still never watch, won't help lure anyone back to cable.
When overhearing people talk about the shows they're really into or what they're telling others they NEED to watch, it's often something only available on a streaming platform..And it's where a lot of folks, especially younger demographics, are happy to view the content they're most interested in. Even sporting events, college, pro and otherwise, are now at times only available via streaming.
Conversely, many are cutting the cord and moving away from cable. In many cases it's become prohibitively expensive, especially for those who only watch a small handful of channels or programs that they can stream for much less than the price of a cable subscription that gives them at least several hundred channels full of stuff they have no interest in and will likely never watch. Adding yet more content that many will still never watch, won't help lure anyone back to cable.
Didn't know Showbuzz daily quit providing cable ratings due to how low some got. I liked reading them. Some networks keep afloat a little better, as I think Big Bang reruns on TBS still got almost a million and some AMC premieres did okay. Paramount does really well with Yellowstone, but is it much tougher to run a cable station these days.Which means 73.6 million households don't have cable.
For perspective:
In 2010, 105 million households had cable.
That number is only going down. Streaming is going up. Read Showbuzz Daily's farewell note to its readers:
Some Unfortunate News | Showbuzz Daily
showbuzzdaily.com
It might provide for a better showing for the individual show though. For example, Miracle Workers is on TBS where they are able to promote it to their viewers and give it a lead in (Big Bang) which could lead to more eyeballs on it then if it premiered buried on Max.
You may be right, but the goal of the networks and media companies right now is to lure as many people as possible to their paid streaming platforms. One way to do that is to offer "exclusive programming" that one can only see there. One thing I can possibly see networks doing is to offer a season or two of a really solid show on their cable network, then if it takes off, basically saying "Annnnd if you wanna see more, you'll need to subscribe to our streaming service".
Discovery+ kind of did that with Chip and Joanna Gaines. Their program "Fixer Upper" was wildly successful on HGTV. The Gaines' used their popularity to create a magazine, home decor, a line of paints and other offshoot businesses. They now program the Magnolia Network (Magnolia is also the name of their long-running magazine and some of their home decor items) which includes older episode of Fixer Upper, but also new content from the Gaines' and others like them...And you can only see it by paying for a subscription to Discovery+. When you do an internet search for them, their old show or the Magnolia Network, this is what you see: "Magnolia Network is available to stream through discovery+ along with 55,000 episodes of current and classic shows from HGTV, Food Network, TLC, ID, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, and more."
There are also the cable channels that are also bundled with some streaming packages (eg YouTube TV). Not sure how much that adds to viewership. There are also the free streamers (eg Pluto TV). Netflix or Paramount Plus or Max could sell their shows to a cable channel also available via streaming, network/broadcast tv or a free streamer. This would be an additional way of monetizing their content, similar to syndication. There is speculation Warner/Discovery took shows off Max to sell them elsewhere.
Yellowstone debuted five years ago. Cable has been losing several million cable households each year. There were about 90 million cable households in 2018 and Paramount+ didn't exist yet, so he calculus was different then.
As a general rule, 18-49 demographic ratings for cable shows are down 50% since 2018, largely because those people simply no longer subscribe.
Nope. They’ll use new shows already in the can and expand unscripted franchises:
NBC Reveals Mostly Strike-Proof Fall 2023 Schedule, Including Three New Series and Midseason ‘Deal or No Deal’ Spinoff
Freshman drama “Quantum Leap” is taking a quantum leap to Tuesdays, as NBC unveiled a mostly strike-proof fall schedule that features three new series (two dramas and a comedy) and a crowded midsea…
variety.com
I guess I am an anomally because I subscribe to Sling just because of the "charm" of watching shows live.
The “charm”?
There is just something different about tuning into a show that you don't get from streaming I cannot put my finger on.
You mean besides the possibility that you’ll miss the beginning of the show if you tune in late?
Because, apart from that, and the ability to pause, restart and rewatch with streaming, there is literally no difference. It’s the same show, being viewed on the same device.
All streaming is is a giant DVR that has everything ready for you to play back at your convenience.
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