The Devil Knows You: Why the Big Four Advertisers Stopped the Show

Last week was the biggest surprise among the network’s cancellations. magnum ipWhich was discontinued by CBS after four seasons, although it made it into the top 25 of the entertainment shows rankings by total viewership.

One more reason to lose? Broadcasters have drastically reduced series cancellation and termination over the past two years. Last week’s parade of cancellation announcements might not be very inspiring, but the data confirms the fact that, as a group, the networks will be with shows longer than they have in the last decade.

While broadcast networks also have fewer scripted series, both the number and rate of cancellations have declined. As more and more scripted programming audiences spread, networks are betting on familiar titles: NCISI’m ონიAnon and orders: Whatever compels viewers to come back, whether it’s the specific prime time or the streaming platforms that have shows on the network after they air.

Over the nine seasons from 2011-12 to 2019-20, the five English-speaking broadcasters were pretty consistent in their cancellation rates: over the years, they completed an average of around 40.6 scripts (per total cancellation or pre-announced season finale). ) per season. The number varied from year to year but never dropped below 35 (2011-12) or above 45 (2013-14).

Over the past two seasons, however, that has dropped to an average of just 24.5 cancellations: 22 a year ago and 27 this season. Even after The CW removed half of the script’s composition, the number of cancellations and terminations increased by just five series.

Source: THR Research. The numbers do not include purchases.

Broadcasters have also aired fewer scripted shows since the start of the pandemic: 87 this season and 86 in 2021-22, compared to an average of around 105 over the nine seasons. Just four years ago, for example, ABC canceled 14 shows; only this season Issued Show written with 14 scripts (plus a miniseries) women’s movement).

The reduction in total volume is partly due to the costs of broadcast projects and the cost of production, regardless of division, due to factors ranging from increased airplay fees and additional precautionary measures against COVID. -19 even the best talents.

However, low cancellation fees are not the only resource for canceling fewer shows. The number of canceled shows has also decreased over the past two seasons. In 2012-20, the five networks lost an average of 38.7% of their scripts each year, and that number never dropped below 33.3%.

The last two seasons have dropped about 10 points above average. The cancellation rate in 2020-21 and 2021-22 was just 28.3%. Thirty-one percent (of the 27.87 shows) will arrive this season, with 10 of them, just over a third, coming from The CW when the network compiled its roster ahead of potential sales.

While all four major networks reduced their churn rate, ABC held back more. In 2012-20, the network canceled or canceled an average of 11 shows per season. As for its total volume, it has been reduced recently, however, this number has become unstable. Only eight series were released in 2021 and 2022, of which only three were released this season.

NBC has cut five series in each of the last two seasons, down from about 10 a year in the previous nine seasons. Fox canceled or ended an average of eight scripts in 2012-20, but dropped just four shows last year and three this year (assuming it can make deals). 911 s Resident Behind). CBS saw the smallest drop, going from eight series a year in 2012-20 to six in 2021 and 2022.

The CW has followed this model for years and has never canceled more than a few shows this season. Just this season, when the network’s future is uncertain, as corporate parents Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global are probing sales, the CW has changed tack and created shows written on a stable script throughout the year.

Freshman Hits as CBS’ ghosts and ABC Abbott Elementary It is an increasingly scarce commodity for broadcasters. Long-running subtitles and franchises like the one on CBS NCIS stable, ABC Gray’s anatomy s station 19and NBC ონიAnon and order s ChicagoAt the same time, the poem continues to attract a credible and differentiated audience across linear and broadcast platforms: NBC said that Law and order: VE’For example, the streaming audience is a generation younger than those who watch the series on air.

Because the transmission chains are becoming the starting point in a multiplatform ecosystem, instead of individual units that have existed for a long time, it makes sense to stick with tested programs (or less familiar): the attention. It shows that people know. Therefore, recognizable library titles help improve affiliate streaming services. Besides the existence of NFL rights, it’s about as profitable as the world of linear television is shrinking.