HBO Max is cutting content like crazy. You might have heard that NBC is considering cutting out its 10pm hour of primetime programming. Even here on The Solid Signal Blog, you’ll hear me rant about how content is leaving streaming, how there aren’t enough new movies on streaming, that sort of thing. But is it something that should keep you up at night?
Probably not.
It’s true, we do find ourselves in a moment where a lot of good content is leaving streaming apps while other good content isn’t ready to come on yet. But it’s really a temporary adjustment based on two factors. One is pretty recent, while one has been going on for decades.
First, the long-term thing.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, we’ve been in the “age of quality TV.” “Quality TV,” if you listen to the people who care to define that sort of thing, is broadcast programming that makes you think. It’s stuff with great production values, award-friendly performances, and possibly somewhat uncomfortable viewpoints. When we first started to see quality TV spread, it was due to cable channels that could present family-unfriendly content without worrying about the censors. Not having to worry about what the sponsors would think was another big benefit. And so, we saw shows ranging from The Sopranos to Breaking Bad to Euphoria that dealt with dark subjects. These shows couldn’t have existed without pay-TV. And, when streaming came along, we got even more shows like that. Now that people can pay providers directly for what they want, there’s a lot of pressure to create buzzworthy content.
But here’s where we find ourselves. We’ve said for years that it would be impossible to watch all the stuff you wanted to watch. You’d have to lock yourself in the house for several months and do nothing but watch TV in order to get caught up with the buzzworthy stuff. At least that was a working theory, unlikely to be tested in the real world.
Or so we thought.
Do I even need to write this part? We all know what we did for the last three quarters of 2020 and maybe until the summer of 2021. We watched A LOT of TV. A lot a lot. And don’t make me spell out why, you know as well as I do.
While we weren’t going to the movies, studios kept us going with a lot of content. A lot a lot. And there was so much “quality TV” that we actually got burned out on it and started watching dumb reality stuff. And then we got burned out on that and eventually started leaving the house.
When we all finally came out of our sanitary shells, the old machines that provided our entertainment started to groan to life. There were movies in theaters. There were live sporting events. And, faced with that, it began to look once more like there didn’t need to be so much investment in “quality TV.”
Which is where we find ourselves.
In the early part of this decade, a decade we will hopefully never see the likes of again, studios focused on keeping us entertained without really looking at the bottom line. Today though, someone has to pay the bills. I do beat on Discovery a lot for gutting HBO Max. And dear readers, I’m sure I’ll do it again. But there’s a fact in play here — HBO Max was hemorrhaging cash. It may have been awesome but it wasn’t making money. And that’s a big part of this. Streaming services, broadcast networks, and studios have to make money. All this quality TV costs a ton, and sooner or later the bill comes due.
I for one think that it’s a small problem, because we’ve seen a lot of diverse voices represented in the last several years. This isn’t a “political” blog, so let me just say that I think it’s good that people see people on TV they can identify with. ‘Nuff said on that. Cutting back on having so much “quality” stuff means more of a focus on the mainstream, because that’s what pays the bills. But, I refuse to believe that we’ll stop telling diverse stories ever again because they make money. They win awards. They get good press. And forgive me for being a cynic, that’s what it’s all about.
So will other broadcast networks give up the 10pm hour?
Maybe. The real question is, were you really watching live at that time anyway? The data says you weren’t. So, maybe don’t worry. Maybe, just maybe, it will all be fine.
Meantime, do me a favor and shop at Solid Signal . They’re good folks and they pay my salary. They trust me to go off the rails with articles like this now and again, too. I like to think, humbly, that articles like this are the internet’s version of “quality TV.” And, they support it so please support them. Shop, call them at 888-233-7563 if there’s a question, or fill out the form below.
