The challenge for TV in 2012

By Marc Berman

The business of television is an evolving medium, no doubt about it. There are multiple ways to view it, a growing social media platform to enhance it and a plethora of programming options to ignite it. With more than 100 channels in the typical television household, there is something for everyone at any time.

Or at least there should be. But since nothing is without its obstacles, the industry’s immediate challenge, at least from a business standpoint, is how to measure this rise of new media. Does anyone really know how? And can anyone figure out how to capitalise on it?

The New Girl

Putting that elephant in the room aside, let’s focus on the positive for the moment. No other medium, past or present, can capture the masses the way that broadcasting does. Whether you are a full-service network like ABC, CBS or NBC; a specifically targeted cable TV presence like USA Network, TNT or Lifetime TV; or a distributor hawking product on station groups across the US, there is a platform ready and able to serve you. But the challenge is finding the best programming options. It is not always that easy.

There are a few new hits on the US broadcasting networks this season, including CBS’s sitcom 2 Broke Girls, ABC’s fantasy drama Once Upon a Time and Fox’s sitcom New Girl. The early success, in particular, of Once Upon a Time means sometimes creativity is rewarded. And 2 Broke Girls and New Girl are two reasons why the recently deteriorating sitcom genre is poised for a comeback. But none of the three shows, or anything else, qualifies as a breakout hit, and the recent departures of ABC’s daytime dramas All My Children and One Life to Live means the priority in any daypart is economics. The audience often takes a back seat to the cost factor.

Cable, as always, benefits by having a completely different set of rules, with more attention available to the fewer shows needed to populate each network. And summer remains a pivotal time, as the original options on the broadcast nets pale in comparison to what many of the cable networks offer. But the challenge is to be more aggressive in the traditional television season (September to May) with more scripted fare.

Syndication, meanwhile, is on a comeback trail of its own with four very different personalities – Katie Couric, Steve Harvey, Ricki Lake and Jeff Probst – scheduled to host their own hours of talk in this congested market. More new names will take the plunge next fall than we have seen in at least 10 years. And the challenge, like anywhere else, is to attract the right demographic in a very cluttered marketplace. Anderson from Warner Bros, hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, did this season, but a 1.3 household rating to date (Nielsen Media Research) means the days of Oprah are clearly over.

As we move into 2012 and upfront season looms, expect to see more new comedies, a continued emphasis on crime-solvers and more non-scripted fare. While more new shows fail than succeed, there is still the hope that something will break out. Although the odds are stacked against it, it can’t hurt to try.