NBC leaves pilots behind, aims for new strategy

Partially a response to the writers’ strike that has brought Hollywood to a screeching halt over the past 11 weeks, NBC has announced that it will be producing a very limited number of pilots this season, if any at all.

"I think there were a tremendous number of inefficiencies in Hollywood and it often takes a seismic event to change them, and I think that's what's happened here," Jeff Zucker, CEO of NBC Universal, told the Financial Times.

Curtailing this process is estimated to save the network about $50 million a year, according to the New York Times. The average cost of producing a pilot has more than doubled in the past three years, increasing from $3 million to $7 million per show. According to C21 Media, typically only about one out of 10 pilots are developed into a full season.

Officials at NBC assure they will continue to try new material as it becomes available for series development. After all, so many programs only see a single-season run anymore. This seems to be the new proving grounds, rather than testing every pilot in front of a sample audience.

Zucker told the Financial Times that pilot season was beginning to be an unnecessary step in production—an antiquated part of the process. Media buyers have reportedly been asking for a change as well. And when a network’s primetime viewership has been down over the past few seasons like NBC’s has, an alteration like this might be exactly what it needs.

This is just one of several industry changes that could result from the strike. Variety reports that other ideas include extending the regular season into June, breaking from the September to May status quo. With discussion open between the two parties of the strike, questions abound. Can viewers expect to see their favorite shows again this season? Will companies wait until next season? Will episodes resume this summer?

"If all we can do is four more episodes, there are pretty substantial amortization costs in order to go back into production," one network executive told Variety, referencing shows in their first season. "Each of those episodes will cost a lot of money. And my guess is the networks won't be generous in helping with that."

Related links:
News: The Writers Guild of America’s strike is on
BBC News: NBC to stop producing pilot shows
Reuters: Despite Writers’ Strike, NBC slate remains intact

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