Apple TV+

Programming Strategy

  • A-List Star-Driven: Old Hollywood approach - build shows around movie stars like Harrison Ford, Jason Segel, Jon Hamm
  • "Men in Midlife Meh": Middle-aged white men going through crisis - Shrinking, The Studio, Stick, Severance, Your Friends & Neighbors
  • High-End Adult Series: Elite audience focus, very well-done content with famous people

Budget & Priorities

  • Budget Range: $12-18M/episode (The Morning Show ~$15M/episode), though trying to reduce spending
  • Seeking: Companion to The Morning Show, voice-driven comedy (single or multi-cam less important)

Content Guidelines

  • Not "Game of Thrones": Won't do extreme violence/sexual content (though Presumed Innocent, Disclaimer push envelope)
  • No YA: "Not at all" - lack of junior A-listers who are movie stars
  • Sci-Fi: Open to more but "comes up less in conversation" lately

Key Considerations

  • Caveats: Needs to be "sanitized for Apple"; comedy must avoid anything too edgy; blank-check days remain for A-list talent

Amazon Prime Video

Core Focus Areas

  • Action/Adventure: Looking for "big, global, commercial" shows like The Boys, Reacher, Jack Ryan
  • Young Adult: Massive audience focus - The Summer I Turned Pretty, upcoming Elle (Legally Blonde prequel)
  • Genre/Sci-Fi: High-profile adaptations like Fallout ($153M budget for S2), Tomb Raider, Fourth Wing

Content Strategy

  • Book IP: "Evergreen need" - adaptations of Off Campus, Every Year After in development
  • Comedy: Cautiously investing after Overcompensating - wants voice-driven ensemble shows, single camera only

Key Considerations

  • Caveats: Not friendly to original ideas without built-in audience; needs global appeal over US-only content

HBO vs HBO Max

HBO (Cable Network)

  • Prestige Drama: Auteur-driven, narrowly curated slate - House of the Dragon (~$20M/episode)
  • Limited Series: High-budget, star-driven projects
  • Comedy: Selective, quality-focused

HBO Max (Streaming)

  • Procedurals: The Pitt as template ($4M/episode) - medical, legal, police procedurals
  • Broadcast-Style: Weekly releases, fixed locations, case-of-the-week format
  • Family Soaps: Greg Berlanti projects in pipeline similar to Brothers & Sisters
  • Comedy: Very limited appetite - avoiding family comedies and red/blue state political content

Key Considerations

  • Caveats: Max originals must be "broad enough, big enough, commercial enough" for global audience

Peacock

Programming Priorities

  • Drama Genres: Three key areas working - elevated spy shows (The Day of the Jackal), soapy thrillers, female-led dramas
  • IP-Driven: "Splashy, noisy" intellectual property preferred - books, graphic novels, video games, life rights

Budget & Scale

  • Budget Range: Drama $6-8M/episode, Comedy $3-5M/episode
  • Limited Comedy Appetite: Focus on auteur/name-driven projects rather than volume

Examples & Strategy

  • Examples: Poker Face, The Office spinoff The Paper, Friday Night Lights reboot, Clueless series
  • Caveats: Very budget-conscious; long-running series losing characters to cut costs

Netflix

Market Position

  • Volume Leader: Broadest appetite but high development mortality rate ("Hunger Games" for survival)
  • Greenlight Power: Multiple executives can say yes, more opportunities than other platforms

Genre Priorities

  • Grounded Sci-Fi: Seeking Severance-style hits as Stranger Things ends
  • Ongoing Horror: Episodic rather than anthology format
  • Limited Series: Still investing while competitors pull back (Pride and Prejudice, East of Eden)

Budget & Content

  • Budget Range: Drama $6-10M/episode (deeper pockets than competitors)
  • Comedy: Voice-driven shows, "big funny" over dramedies - Tires, Nobody Wants This, A Man on the Inside
  • YA Content: Strong appetite like other streamers

Market Challenges

  • Oversaturated: Spy shows (though still buying them for global appeal)
  • Anti-Genre: Expensive period pieces ("don't want" but "you get in a room and they buy it")
  • Caveats: High development volume but many projects never reach production; seeking Ozark replacement

Disney+ & Disney Channel

Age-Specific Programming

  • Clear divisions: Disney Jr. (2-5 years), Disney Television Animation (6-12 years), Live-Action (6-17 years)
  • Multi-Cam Revival: Looking for more shows like Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, Electric Bloom, Vampirina: Teenage Vampire

Budget & Strategy

  • Budget Range: $1.5-3M/episode for multi-cam and single-cam series
  • IP vs. Originals: More open to original pitches than in past, but still IP-driven priority
  • YA Focus: Clean, less edgy YA for 9-17 set with romance/relationship drama but genre-driven

Production Approach

  • Pilot Orders: Actually ordering pilots again (unlike straight-to-series trend)
  • Co-Viewing: Seeking content that prompts parent-child viewing
  • Musical Elements: Strong interest in music-driven content

Examples & Considerations

  • Examples: Percy Jackson, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, upcoming Holes pilot, Coven Academy
  • Caveats: Cost-effectiveness essential; no expensive outer space unless "hokey multi-cam version"

USA Network (Versant)

Brand Strategy

  • "Blue Skies" 2.0: "Skies can be a little cloudy" - character-driven procedurals with optimism but some edge
  • Single/Dual-Lead Procedurals: Episodic, closed-ended with hopeful characters

Budget & Production

  • Budget Conscious: Less than $6-8M/episode broadcast procedural costs
  • Template Shows: Matlock (CBS), Will Trent (ABC), Poker Face (Peacock)
  • Straight-to-Series: Abandoning pilot model for direct series orders

Competitive Advantages

  • Original Ideas Welcome: Not just IP-based, wants shows with "vision and voice"
  • Independence Advantage: Can work with any studio, sell streaming rights anywhere (not locked to Peacock)

Strategic Context

  • Examples: The Rainmaker, Anna Pigeon (2026)
  • Survival Strategy: Lower-cost scripted to attract viewers, drive affiliate fees, appeal to potential buyers
  • Caveats: Must be cost-conscious; network positioning for sale as distressed cable asset

ABC

Programming Philosophy

  • "Familiar Setups Through a Unique Lens": Traditional formats with fresh perspectives
  • "Family Feeling" Comedies: Sitcoms that revolve around family or chosen family (like Abbott Elementary)

Current Slate & Priorities

  • Procedurals: Episodic, case-of-the-week dramas in legal and medical realms
  • Character-Forward Series: Hopeful tones, romance storylines welcome
  • Limited Schedule Space: Very selective due to successful returning series

Development Examples

  • In Development: Mittens (family comedy from neighborhood cat's POV), Do You Want Kids? (Rachel Bloom/Dan Gregor multiverse family project)
  • Current Hits: High Potential, Abbott Elementary, Grey's Anatomy, 9-1-1 franchise

Key Considerations

  • Caveats: Must work for Hulu on second run; dark and dreary content has little place; very limited schedule space

Decision Makers

  • Simran Sethi - President of Scripted Programming (ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals)
  • Suzanna Makkos - Comedy (ABC and Hulu)
  • Jordan Helman - Drama Series

Hulu

Core Differentiator

  • Serialization: The main difference between ABC and Hulu programming
  • "Serialized, Soapy, Hard Funny": Ensemble-driven content with ongoing storylines

Drama Priorities

  • Ensemble-Driven Soaps: Female-led shows like Nine Perfect Strangers
  • Crime Thrillers & Mysteries: Like Paradise
  • Coming-of-Age Shows: Targeting 20-something demographic
  • YA Content: "Edge-of-your-seat, feeling uncomfortable, sexy" like Tell Me Lies

Comedy Strategy

  • Tightly Serialized Comedies: Following Only Murders in the Building success
  • No Half-Hour Dramas: Want "hard funny with cheerfulness and uplifting vibe"

Onyx Collective Focus

  • Actively Buying: Contemporary returning dramas, female-led "romantasy" soaps, erotic thrillers, talent-centric comedies

Budget & Global Strategy

  • Budget Range: $5-10M/episode for drama
  • Global Eye: More international focus since full Disney ownership
  • Caveats: No period pieces; wants IP-driven or actor-driven "noisy concepts"; lower budgets for YA content

FX

Brand Identity

  • "Propulsive" & "All About Voice": The key descriptors for FX projects
  • Prestige & Creative Touch: Led by tastemaker John Landgraf, sought after by creatives

Content Strategy

  • "Propulsive" Programming: Fast-paced, engaging content that drives viewer investment
  • Specific Worldviews: Complicated family dramas set in business world (like Succession) or unique settings
  • Voice-Driven: Focus on distinctive creative voices and perspectives

Current Slate

  • Comedy: The Bear (5th season), It's Always Sunny (through season 18), The English Teacher, Adults
  • Drama: Shōgun (expanded to multi-season epic)

Programming Philosophy

  • "Steady Eddie of Curated Programming": Consistent quality over volume
  • Top Echelon Prestige: "Left of center, the cool thing" that maintains brand recognition

Key Advantages

  • Hulu Distribution: All FX series stream on Hulu, providing much wider reach than other cable networks
  • Focus: Emphasis on finding and developing distinctive creative voices rather than chasing trends

Leadership Team

  • John Landgraf - FX Chief ("Mayor of TV")
  • Nick Grad & Gina Balian - Key Deputies

Key Trends Across All Platforms

  • Global Appeal: All streamers and networks prioritizing content that travels internationally
  • Budget Consciousness: Tighter purse strings across industry, even at successful shows
  • IP Preference: Built-in audiences favored over original concepts (though some platforms becoming more open)
  • Procedural Revival: Return to episodic, case-of-the-week formats across broadcast and streaming
  • Limited Series Decline: Most platforms pulling back except Netflix
  • Comedy Shift: Move from dramedies to "hard funny"/feel-good content
  • Star Power: A-list talent still opens doors, especially at Apple TV+ and FX
  • Age Demographics: Clear focus on specific age groups - YA dominance, kids content expansion
  • Multi-Cam Resurgence: Disney leading revival of traditional multi-camera sitcoms
  • Cost Efficiency: Lower per-episode budgets becoming standard, even for returning shows
  • Platform Positioning: Networks using scripted content to attract buyers or differentiate from competitors
  • Pilot Renaissance: Some buyers returning to pilot model over straight-to-series orders
  • Serialization vs. Episodic: Clear distinction between streaming (serialized) and broadcast (episodic) preferences
  • "Familiar But Different" Mandate: Industry-wide desire for recognizable formats with fresh perspectives
  • Voice-Driven Content: Emphasis on distinctive creative voices, particularly at premium platforms like FX
  • Young Adult Focus: Continued investment in YA content across multiple platforms, with varying approaches to edginess
  • Consolidated Decision-Making: Streamlined executive structures (like Disney's unified ABC/Hulu leadership)
  • Diversity & Inclusion Evolution: Some initiatives like Onyx Collective thriving while others quietly fade