Alvir Navin’s Post

Did you catch our latest insights report, the 2024 State of Diversity on TV? If so, maybe you were surprised to learn that the proportion of diverse TV leads was down year-over-year📉. Samba TV Co-Founder and COO Alvir Navin sat down with Forbes to chat through some of our findings and how they can be used to help our industry improve💡. “With the growing proportion of diverse Americans, studios have a strong incentive to invest in diverse talent. This has the potential to lead to significant, sustained change in the coming years with continued effort and a clear business case.” - Samba TV 👉 Read more via Forbes here: https://lnkd.in/gCJ_dsyz #SambaTVInsights #DiversityMatters #TVData #TVMeasurement

Samba TV’s second annual State of Diversity on TV report is out! Read about it in the Forbes article below, and you can access the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gfRaSQ9Z

Really good article.

Is it it all doom and gloom for TV? I don’t think so and certainly not what we are experiencing here at Medialab Group. Take a look at my thoughts for 2024 in this article on The Media Leader: https://lnkd.in/dpJYQGj3 #tvbuying #mediaagency #tvnews

Research: Peak TV Has… Peaked. So Here’s What’s Coming Next. Born circa 2013, died 2023 — 10 glorious years marking the rise and death of Peak TV — is disinterred and examined in a new report, which also predicts what Hollywood and viewers can expect of the next phase of home entertainment. In a nutshell: the rise and the demise of Peak TV (roughly the period between House of Cards to the finale of Succession), was the result of a number of factors, not least being an oversaturation of prestige drama and a content spent that jumped from $139 billion in 2014 to $243 billion by 2022. One thing of which we can be sure going forward: much fewer premium series, more content like the network cable TV of old. https://lnkd.in/gx4xw4Td https://lnkd.in/gceSQZ6m Matthew Macfadyen and Sarah Snook in “Succession.” Cr: HBO #ContentSpending #PeakTV #HomeEntertainment

#nytimes Nearly every year from 2010 through 2023, the number of TV programs rose in the United States, reaching 599 scripted television shows last year. It may never hit those heights again. For more than a year now, studios and networks — including streaming giants like Netflix, cable stalwarts like HBO and FX, and the broadcast channels — have hit the brakes on ordering new series. Executives, worried about hemorrhaging cash from their streaming services, customers cutting the cable cord and a soft advertising market, have instead placed more emphasis on profitability. The monthslong screenwriter and actor strikes last year also contributed to the slowdown. With a more frugal approach, there is widespread fear throughout the industry about the fallout from a contraction. The Emmy nomination submission list gives a snapshot. The number of dramas that the networks and studios submitted for Emmy consideration dropped 5 percent, according to the Television Academy, which organizes the awards. Entries for limited series fell by 16 percent, and comedies by 19 percent. Some television genres seem to be in some degree of peril. Limited series — six to 10 episodes shows that became a sensation over the past decade, particularly after the 2014 debut of “True Detective,” the 2016 premiere of “American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson” and the 2017 start of “Big Little Lies” — have been a hallmark of the Peak TV era. The shows stood out in part because of the big stars and lavish budgets involved. At the 2021 Emmys, the statue for best limited series was the final award presented. This had long been a designation for best drama, and it signaled an admission by organizers that the category had become television’s most prestigious prize. Not anymore. As part of programming budget cuts, executives now see significantly less benefit to deploying lavish resources to a show that ends after a matter of weeks. Once again, investing in series with lots of seasons is a much bigger priority. And there is a good chance that television may start to look a lot like television from a couple of decades ago. #ott #streaming #broadcasting #svod #tvshows #production #television #programming #budget #media #peak

Interesting thoughts on what's being dubbed as the end of the TV peak era. The trend suggests a decline in the popularity of limited series, a fan favorite format, with studios shifting back to the traditional full-time TV seasons. From 2010 to 2023, the number of TV programs in the US rose each year, reaching 599 scripted television shows last year. However, there's speculation that we might not see those heights again in the near future. Points from the article worth highlighting: "As part of programming budget cuts, executives now see significantly less benefit to deploying lavish resources to a show that ends after a matter of weeks. Once again, investing in series with lots of seasons is a much bigger priority. And there is a good chance that television may start to look a lot like television from a couple of decades ago." Also, from the #WashingtonPost: "Now television’s boom cycle has gone bust, and Peak TV is winding down, like prestige TV did before it. There are hints of what might come after. The contraction now in progress suggests (given the kinds of projects being canceled) that streamers are embracing more conservative, less experimental programming even as they look for the next “Game of Thrones.” There will probably be more revivals. More reboots. And, if some executives have their way, a heavier reliance on formulas and algorithms, perhaps assisted by new technologies such as artificial intelligence." (https://lnkd.in/gsPiSsvq)

Local TV NEWS "...The reasons behind this generational divide are multifaceted. Younger audiences tend to prioritize convenience and immediacy, values that align more closely with digital media forms than with traditional linear TV broadcasts. They prefer to consume news on their own schedules, often in bite-sized formats that can be easily accessed on smartphones or tablets. Furthermore, younger viewers are more likely to seek out niche content that aligns more closely with their specific interests, rather than broad, general-interest coverage that traditionally characterizes local TV news programming."

From The Guardian: Alex Mahon’s assessment of the crisis facing the television market is frank: the Channel 4 boss believes many of the production companies that underpin Britain’s global reputation for making hit shows face being forced out of business. Amid the worst ad slump in more than 15 years, which the chief executive has described as “market shock” territory, her comments are unlikely to warm the already strained relations between the broadcaster and the 300 independent #TV producers that depend on it. I suspect we are going to go through a market correction where we’ve got too many producers to be sustained now that there have been reductions in the market. And you’ll see more [cuts] this year and that’s really difficult,” says Mahon, as we speak in her office at Channel 4’s London headquarters – due to be sold off as part of the most radical restructuring in its 42-year history, which will also see it shed more than 200 staff. The broadcaster has already taken the axe to its programming budget by pausing, cancelling and phasing the release and commissioning of shows to stretch budgets, leaving many content suppliers in financial limbo. And yet, while much of its current woes can be pinned on the ad crunch and rise of digital rivals, some are asking whether Channel 4 has lost its mojo to come up with new hits. Mahon disputes the suggestion that Channel 4 is in a hits drought, pointing to the critical success of shows such as breakout The Piano She argues that part of the issue is that with so many hundreds of shows available on streaming and traditional #TV viewers have “choice paralysis”, reverting to classics, with the biggest shows on Netflix , Disney+ and HBO Max being oldies such as Friends, Suits, Grey’s Anatomy and Big Bang Theory. “Look at what has been on in January – Gladiators, a show from 1992, Big Brother, a show from 2000 – we shouldn’t be doing those shows,” Mahon says. “Everybody is relying on brands they know for those reasons, but that is not what Channel 4 should be doing. Around 60% of our titles each year will be new, underscoring our commitment to innovation. It is easy and obvious to do a retread.” Similarly radical shake-ups are happening across the industry – in some cases fuelled by a costly over-zealous drive into #streaming – with the giants The Walt Disney Company , Warner Bros. Discovery and Channel 5-owner #Paramount announcing combined cuts of more than $10bn, while Sky UK recently announced 1,000 redundancies. “The whole challenge is how you reinvent yourself as a broadcaster and become digital,” Mahon says. “That is what we have to do now, that is what everyone else is doing. “We get a lot of attention but it is happening everywhere. It is exactly the same as has happened to retail and has happened to print, and I don’t think it is easy. Compare us to others and I think we are well ahead.” #advertising

I’ve seen a lot of change in the television industry over the past 25 years, but nothing comes close to the velocity of today’s new developments. Well, I suppose “new” is relative, as what was old becomes new again. As this excellent article puts it, “The streamers that had been quick to destroy the old network TV formula are now looking to emulate it.” Commercials? ✔ More linear-like programming? ✔ Cable-like bundling? ✔ These kinds of course corrections from major streamers are exciting for us as we continue to seek opportunities for our clients in a dynamic and evolving landscape. https://lnkd.in/eaZ_BHv9