Nolte: Disruptors No More — Streamers to Adapt Network Policies

Streaming outlets are discovering that after 70 years in business, the old, tired, decrepit broadcast networks may have figured some things out.

And it all grows out of streamers freaking over “churn.”

“Churn” is what smart streaming consumers do. After gobbling up everything they wish to see on one streaming service, they cancel that service and subscribe to another. Over the course of a year, and for the cost of just one subscription, those smart consumers see everything they want to see on all the streaming outlets.

What makes this possible is that streaming services currently drop an entire season of TV at one time and then leave that season on the streaming site, so subscribers can watch the full season whenever they want.

The issues are obvious. Instead of watching a ten-episode show over two-and-a-half months, subscribers watch it over the weekend. If the show remains on the service in perpetuity, subscribers can do the same at a later date.

In other words, there is no appointment television on the streamers. Well, now that cable/satellite TV is dying and most streaming services are making little to no money, that has to change. The original idea to end “churn” was to spend billions and billions producing (literally) hundreds of streaming shows. That didn’t work. Too much crap was produced, and since the shows that viewers did enjoy could be binge-watched in a couple of days, it was a lose-lose to the churners.

Then there’s the reality that no matter how many millions a Disney+ or Netflix pour into a prestige series filled with expensive movie stars and special effects, it’s still the old standards that rack up the most streaming minutes: Law & Order, Suits, CSI, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, Chicago PD, Seinfeld, Big Bang Theory, The Office, etc.

And so, things are about to change:

From a business perspective, streamers have also realized that while long-running procedurals that they’ve acquired from broadcast and cable can keep some of their subscribers happy, it would be smart to make a few of their own as a good way to stop the subscriber churn. And those heftier orders don’t need to break the bank.

Translation: we are finally about to see more comfort TV from streamers, which means an end to this woke, everyone-is-gay, political crap that is bankrupting the studios.

Then there’s this: “That includes embracing TV commercials, which is why outlets like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video will be present at upfronts week[.]”

Translation: The disruptors were wrong. People are willing to watch commercials—as they have for decades, duh—especially if they come with a price reduction.

Then there’s this:

[O]ne might notice that some of the new programming the streamers will be showcasing looks a lot like the fare that have fueled the broadcast lineups since the dawn of TV . Live events? Netflix is getting into it in a big way with specials like “The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady.” Mega sports deals? Amazon has Thursday Night Football, and is reportedly making a big play for the NBA.

Translation: Appointment TV is about to hit the streamers. A football game every Thursday night means no churn from football fans, at least throughout the season. You want to talk about the Tom Brady Roast the next day at the office? You better watch tonight.

This is the future:

“ER” creator John Wells is just the producer to bring the procedural drama format into a new era. He and fellow “ER” vet R. Scott Gemmill are taking what they did 30 years ago for broadcast and updating it for the streaming age with their upcoming Max series “The Pitt.” Produced through Warner Bros. TV, “The Pitt” is a medical procedural, starring “ER” alum Noah Wyle, and has been picked up for 15 episodes by Max. The show has been built to make financial sense, with no box office titan demanding millions an episode and no outlandish price tag. The show’s budget clocks in at around $5 million an episode — a steal by the standard of recent years.

Translation: Noah Wyle is a TV star, a tried-and-true TV star (ER, Falling Skies), but he still comes a lot cheaper than a movie star. Plus, The Pitt will not drop all 15 episodes at once. It will be a weekly series and “not $20 million an episode with huge special effects or anything like that.”

If you enjoy The Pitt, you can’t churn for at least four months.

The question now is… After the 15 weeks are up, will Max let people jump in and watch all the episodes then, or will they remove it for a time?

You can read more about Hollywood’s problems here.

John Nolte’s first and last novel, Borrowed Time, is winning five-star raves from everyday readers. You can read an excerpt here and an in-depth review here. Also available in hardcover and on Kindle and Audiobook.