Videoage International March-April 2020

12 March/April 2020 V I D E O A G E I n order to counter fierce competition from streaming TV services like Apple TV Plus, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix, U.S. broadcast TV networks have had to come up with competitive strategies to win back viewers. At the Television Critics Association (TCA) Press Tour — which held its winter edition January 7-19 at the Langham Huntington hotel in Pasadena, California — network programming heads discussed their plans ahead of the up- front presentations, which will be held in May in New York City. Some 300 participants, including journalists andTVexecutives,were inattendance. Dominating the event were Disney with its ABC, Hulu, and FX, and ViacomCBS with its All Access, Showtime, and Pop. Both clearly brought streaming into the strategy mix. “At ABC we’re creating big, culturally impactful entertainment events that deliver enormous audiences,” said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. “Our strategy going forward is to present at least one live or big tentpole event every month.” After adding more live American Idol and The Bachelor episodes to its schedule, ABC is considering “leaning into” eventizing the franchises it already has as part of this strategy. “Those events have, as a level of entry, a broad appeal,” noted Burke. “When you look at Little Mermaid Live! , when you look at Jeopardy! , those appeal to kids and families, and parents and young adults. And I think that is the secret sauce in what unites people to watch those.” Also, the network launched female-forward series that were broadly appealing and diverse, Burke said. “We’re now home to three of the fall’s top five new series in Stumptown , Mixed-ish , and Emergence , and three of the top five scripted broadcast series overall in Grey’s Anatomy , Modern Family , and The Good Doctor . Burke noted that multi-platform adds a whole other dimension to ABC’s success story. “Ten series grew more than 200 percent [in audience], and half of those grew more than 300 percent, which is pretty incredible. Led by double- digit growth on Hulu, our digital viewership is actually up year over year. That gives shows like Grey’s Anatomy , in its 16th season, higher viewership than last year, which is amazing.” Burke pointed out that Hulu helps ABC sig- nificantlybroaden its reach toayounger audience. The median age of ABC on Hulu is 23 years younger than on linear. “With multiple platforms servicing multiple audiences, The Walt Disney Company has set us up with a comprehensive distribution strategy that no other platform can match,” she concluded. In March, FX will be on Hulu, a move that John Landgraf, chairman, FX Networks and FX Productions, sees as a “transformative” opportunity for the brand, its shows, and its talent. “We hope it will be of great benefit to our partner Hulu and their almost 30 million subscribers,” he said. “From this point forward, Hulu will be the most comprehensive streaming service for future, current, and library FX original programs.” Landgraf feels “incredibly fortunate” to have been acquired by The Walt Disney Company, calling it the “best possible home” for FX. “Disney is, and always has been, in the business of storytelling, now going strong for almost 100 years,” Landgraf said. “They have made Disney one of the greatest brands in the world, while also Useful Tips For World Television Broadcasters Outlined at TCA By Susan L. Hornik TCA Press Tour Review (Continued on Page 14) ABC Entertainment’s Karey Burke FX’s John Landgraf