Network Television: The future is dim.
Gone unnoticed in last month’s announcements of the slates of programs to be available on broadcast network television this fall is the fact there are no regularly scheduled times for network movies.
Since nearly the beginning of television, there have been broadcasts of movies on network television. Including movies from theatres getting their “Network Television Debut” to “Made-for-TV” films, there has always been a place in primetime for movies.
No more. CBS has pulled the plug on the “CBS Sunday Night Movie” franchise.
Movies on network primetime have been dwindling since HBO first went on the air. During the seventies, there was rarely a time when there was not a single night of the week without a movie of some sort being broadcast. They were cheaper than weekly series and sometimes more popular.
HBO and basic cable changed all that. Gradually, movies on television eroded away and all we are left with are poorly developed reality programming.
That does not mean that network television will never broadcast a movie. Remember that Disney still owns ABC. You can count on "Monsters Inc." showing up some Saturday night. The "Hallmark Hall of Fame" will continue to have programs on during the holidays for CBS.
CBS will still find a way to air Tom Selleck’s “Jesse Stone” adventures. NBC will continue to air “It’s a Wonderful Life” during Christmas for a few more years. So movies are not totally gone from the broadcast television landscape. They are just dwindling further down.
Not to be "Mr. Doom and Gloom", but be prepared for the end of broadcast television as we have always known it. Movies are leaving for cable. Sports are leaving for cable. Despite all the Katie Couric talk, news is going away as well.
The UPN and WB networks combined this year. I will say it hear first that eventually FOX will fold its network programming into its cable networks. Watch for American Idol to end up on FX within the next five years.
The only thing really keeping broadcast television alive is Oprah (she can move her show to the Oxygen channel when she’s ready), local news (they have not solved that problem yet, but it could go to local cable) and the Tonight show/Late Night with Letterman programs (which could go away when they retire, despite the announcement of Conan taking over for Leno). There is nothing else on broadcast television viewers can not get as good as or better from basic or premium cable channels.
In my view, broadcast television as we know it is weakening badly. Losing movies and sports programming are the early signs. By 2010 it will be more noticeable and everyone will be talking about it. By 2020, expect it to be nearly gone from the viewership landscape.
By then the television landscape could be dominated by three little words: Pay Per View.
Watch and see.
Since nearly the beginning of television, there have been broadcasts of movies on network television. Including movies from theatres getting their “Network Television Debut” to “Made-for-TV” films, there has always been a place in primetime for movies.
No more. CBS has pulled the plug on the “CBS Sunday Night Movie” franchise.
Movies on network primetime have been dwindling since HBO first went on the air. During the seventies, there was rarely a time when there was not a single night of the week without a movie of some sort being broadcast. They were cheaper than weekly series and sometimes more popular.
HBO and basic cable changed all that. Gradually, movies on television eroded away and all we are left with are poorly developed reality programming.
That does not mean that network television will never broadcast a movie. Remember that Disney still owns ABC. You can count on "Monsters Inc." showing up some Saturday night. The "Hallmark Hall of Fame" will continue to have programs on during the holidays for CBS.
CBS will still find a way to air Tom Selleck’s “Jesse Stone” adventures. NBC will continue to air “It’s a Wonderful Life” during Christmas for a few more years. So movies are not totally gone from the broadcast television landscape. They are just dwindling further down.
Not to be "Mr. Doom and Gloom", but be prepared for the end of broadcast television as we have always known it. Movies are leaving for cable. Sports are leaving for cable. Despite all the Katie Couric talk, news is going away as well.
The UPN and WB networks combined this year. I will say it hear first that eventually FOX will fold its network programming into its cable networks. Watch for American Idol to end up on FX within the next five years.
The only thing really keeping broadcast television alive is Oprah (she can move her show to the Oxygen channel when she’s ready), local news (they have not solved that problem yet, but it could go to local cable) and the Tonight show/Late Night with Letterman programs (which could go away when they retire, despite the announcement of Conan taking over for Leno). There is nothing else on broadcast television viewers can not get as good as or better from basic or premium cable channels.
In my view, broadcast television as we know it is weakening badly. Losing movies and sports programming are the early signs. By 2010 it will be more noticeable and everyone will be talking about it. By 2020, expect it to be nearly gone from the viewership landscape.
By then the television landscape could be dominated by three little words: Pay Per View.
Watch and see.
Labels: Entertainment
posted by Alexander Dimm | 9:26 PM
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