By Gavin Boyle
As video on demand has become ubiquitous through streaming, 8 p.m. has become the hottest time slot on TV, despite previously being the most difficult to fill.
“We have this incredible luxury that we’re able to put CELEBRITY WHEEL OF FORTUNE on Fridays at eight. If you were writing a story about live viewing, I actually think one of the stories you would write about is that eight o’clock on ABC is the single best time period on television for live viewing,” Craig Erwich, the president of Disney Television Group told Deadline. “Our local stations dominate. The Prime Access ratings coming out of WHEEL and JEOPARDY!, which we have on our own stations at 7 p.m. – 8 p.m., are the best places to launch shows. When we talk in the scheduling room, where are we going to put our big priority this year? It’s always eight o’clock.”
This is a massive shift in thinking, as the 10 p.m. slot has traditionally been the easiest slot to score high ratings in, while 8 p.m. has been the most difficult. This is because the 8 p.m. shows start off the night’s new scripted content, meaning the burden is on them to draw an audience. Later shows could ride on the momentum of the earlier shows and draw a larger audience than they would on their own.
For this reason, the 8 p.m. slot has traditionally been the home of popular shows like NCIS, which have the ability to draw an audience on their own, while newer shows — like ELSBETH or MATLOCK — have enjoyed the 10 p.m. slot.
Streaming, however, has turned this system on its head as viewers may tune in for their favorite shows but switch to streaming afterward, rather than continuing to watch shows they are less interested in.
This new pressure on TV schedules has caused networks to cut shows that are not major hits, cycling more quickly through new ideas. This means that many shows with a sizable fanbase have ended as networks look for an even more popular show. CBS, for example, has disappointed many fans over the past year through the cancelation of BLUE BLOODS along with FBI: INTERNATIONAL and FBI: MOST WANTED, all of which were very popular shows.
At the same time, CBS brought on new shows that are a part of these franchises through BOSTON BLUE and FBI: CIA, which the network believes will draw a larger audience overall. Networks have also been forced to change their entire nightly lineups at times to better serve this shifting landscape. For example, CBS’s fall lineup looked different from the spring as NCIS and FBI switched nights, while the network’s other shows were shuffled around as well.
“This season, our new and returning series continue to showcase CBS as the leader in launching and programming the biggest hits with mass appeal for broadcast and streaming viewers,” Amy Reisenbach, the president of CBS Entertainment, said when the first round of shows for the upcoming season was announced. “These returning shows represent a mix of long-standing hits and a new generation of fan favorites. In collaboration with our extraordinarily talented partners in front of and behind the camera, we look forward to delivering another successful season.”
Nonetheless, these changes are necessary to continue to pull the largest audience possible and keep cable afloat as it works to stave off its death via streaming.
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