Three of the four network reality chiefs have lost their jobs since May. FOX’s Mike Darnell was the first, followed by CBS’ Jennifer Bresnan, and most recently, ABC’s John Saade. Only Paul Telegdy of NBC remains in place. I have a feeling the success of The Voice has something to do with that. Surely not The Million Second Quiz, the Ryan Seacrest-helmed game show that ran nightly for two weeks, and fell below a 1.0 rating on a couple of nights.
The Hollywood Reporter writes that network reality shows are in a stalemate. Other than The Voice, no network has launched a highly successful reality show in the past few years. Networks are relying on aging shows such as American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and Survivor to bring in ratings, but those shows have all fallen in the double-digits year-over-year.
The most successful reality shows run on cable now, where Duck Dynasty is killing it–beating every broadcast reality show since the 2012 American Idol finale.
Making the situation more complicated. Broadcast reality is no longer inexpensive compared to scripted fare. Million Second Quiz is “believed to have cost nearly $30 million, or about $2.5 million an episode (with host Ryan Seacrest’s salary factored in), on par with an original network drama.”
Oh, and get this, “Voice launched with a per-episode budget between $2 million and $2.5 million, the latter of which is more than American Idol cost during its first 10 seasons, according to an informed source.”
The analysis is an interesting read. Check it out at the Hollywood Reporter
