On Tuesday, it was revealed that Discovery Communications and
Scripps Network were in advanced talks to merge. If it happens, non-fiction content assets
such as Discovery, Animal Planet and OWN would be combined with
HGTV, Travel Channel, and the Food Network.
Without a doubt, the move is in response to threats, namely
increased consolidation among distributors and cord-cutting. Larger Pay-TV providers pitted against
smaller content owners “win” in retransmission negotiations, especially if the
content is not highly valued by viewers.
The creation of lower priced skinny bundles that may or may not have
space for less in-demand programming fortifies the challenges faced by the likes
of Discovery and Scripps. But, does a
combined firm change any of that? I
believe it does/will not. The
programming has to be better – more engaging and more interesting. Without that, viewers, particularly millennials,
will not have a willingness to pay, regardless of the scale and scope of the
firm that owns them.
No comments:
Post a Comment