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After The End Of 'Peak TV' Production, One Hollywood Exec Assesses The Bleak State Of Affairs
The Hollywood sign.
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Robyn Beck
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AFP via Getty Images
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Topline:
A high-level development exec at an independent studio delivers a state of the TV industry from their vantage point, offering insight into the future of production.
Why it matters: Everyone in the entertainment industry is trying to figure out what the world looks like now that we’re collectively on the other side of Peak TV — how many shows will be made, at what budgets and what’s working.
What stability will look like: When The Ankler’s Elaine Low asked what a steady state “new normal” will be, this person expressed confidence along with some hard truth. “[Streamers] are getting closer to the right volumes. But that's where the pain point lies. We're in the breaking period. Instead of a network programming 12 comedies a year, it’s going to program four.”
Funny money: Comedy is a useful lens through which to consider how the TV business is changing. While some people have suggested that the proper, disciplined budget for a comedy moving forward is $2.5 million to $3 million an episode, this executive says that the right number is actually closer to $1.5 million to $2 million and potentially in a state with a tax credit. Even more, he advocates for more entrepreneurial, self-financed projects such as comedian Seth Gillis’ Netflix series Tires.
For more . . . read the full story on The Ankler.
This story is published in partnership with The Ankler, a paid subscription publication about the entertainment industry.
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