NBCUniversal Exec Susan Rovner: “Miniseries can be a mistake.”
For the NBCUniversal executive, it’s essential to build a solid library and gain the trust of subscribers.
After producing long-running serials, generally a few seasons of 24 episodes each, streaming services started to consider miniseries: they are cheaper, very well received, and easier to create. There is just one problem: more is needed to build a library.
The matter was the center topic of a panel at the SXSW festival, recently hosted in Austin, Texas. NBCUniversal’s chairman of entertainment content Susan Rovner was among the panelists, and she pointed to a few areas where the industry is constantly making adjustments: chasing subscribers while balancing churn. “One thing about NBCUniversal is that we have vast libraries, we have The Office, we have Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Rovner said during a discussion with Google TV exec Rob Caruso. “When you look at streamers and how they program now, it’s three seasons, eight episodes each season, and we’re done. So, they’re not building those libraries, and I think that’s a mistake. I think that’s going to catch up.” Rovner noted that in the chase for subscribers, streaming services may be forgoing long-term value for short-term customers in ordering new series vs. building libraries. “We have to be careful,” the NBCU exec added, “if we don’t say, ‘you know, this is a good show, I’m going to keep ordering it,'” then there will be fewer libraries of shows ten years down the line.” For Rovner, the trust of subscribers is more important than revenues: “You want to honor your viewers who have invested in that show and give them that end and, unfortunately, sometimes that means deciding to order more episodes of a show even though financially it may not make as much sense. But you are gaining your viewers, audience, and consumers’ trust.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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For the NBCUniversal executive, it’s essential to build a solid library and gain the trust of subscribers.
After producing long-running serials, generally a few seasons of 24 episodes each, streaming services started to consider miniseries: they are cheaper, very well received, and easier to create. There is just one problem: more is needed to build a library.
The matter was the center topic of a panel at the SXSW festival, recently hosted in Austin, Texas. NBCUniversal’s chairman of entertainment content Susan Rovner was among the panelists, and she pointed to a few areas where the industry is constantly making adjustments: chasing subscribers while balancing churn. “One thing about NBCUniversal is that we have vast libraries, we have The Office, we have Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Rovner said during a discussion with Google TV exec Rob Caruso. “When you look at streamers and how they program now, it’s three seasons, eight episodes each season, and we’re done. So, they’re not building those libraries, and I think that’s a mistake. I think that’s going to catch up.” Rovner noted that in the chase for subscribers, streaming services may be forgoing long-term value for short-term customers in ordering new series vs. building libraries. “We have to be careful,” the NBCU exec added, “if we don’t say, ‘you know, this is a good show, I’m going to keep ordering it,'” then there will be fewer libraries of shows ten years down the line.” For Rovner, the trust of subscribers is more important than revenues: “You want to honor your viewers who have invested in that show and give them that end and, unfortunately, sometimes that means deciding to order more episodes of a show even though financially it may not make as much sense. But you are gaining your viewers, audience, and consumers’ trust.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
