Whether or not any broadcast network will ever admit it, cable networks like USA figured out the power of summer programming long before anyone else did. Yes, the broadcasters hit upon some major successes during the summer, but it was the cable executives who decided to truly own the season and double-down on its potential for profitability.
After taking a look at how ABC (DIS), CBS ((CBS), Fox (FOXA), and NBC (CMCSA) are handling this summer, it's time to turn our attention to the cable networks and look at what advertisers, investors, and audiences need to know as the seasonal battleground heats up.
Blue-sky success
You can’t really have this conversation without starting with USA (a subsidiary of Comcast (CMCSA)). The network has always had a sustainable and successful model dubbed “blue sky.” Essentially, it’s taking a character that comes “this close” to their dream, and always reminding them it actually is a dream.
Whether it be Suits’ Mike Ross, pretending to be a lawyer and living the life that comes with it, or the Royal Pains crew living among the Hamptons elite but not quite being one of them, it’s a scenario that plays…and it plays best during the summer.
USA executives (specifically the incredibly talented Bonnie Hammer) have also mastered the art of finding talent that is one step away from breaking through and giving them their big shot. For example, did you know who Jeffrey Donavan or Matt Bomer were before Burn Notice and White Collar? You may have seen them pop up from time to time, but now they could step into their own show armed with just the pedigree of a successful USA series.
While Burn Notice and Psych have signed off (and White Collar expected to in the not-so-distant future), Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, Suits, and now Graceland carry on the tradition.
A positive split
Speaking of tradition, USA has also had a hand in a new programming tradition: the split-season approach. The network helped usher this tactic in, as for years it's been airing its dramas in two batches -- a longer run during the summer and a slightly shorter one in the winter.
The benefit of it is surprisingly simple in that the network gets to extend the life of its show’s seasons without having to produce more episodes. USA, like most cable networks, usually orders between 13 and 16 episodes per season and can then split them any number of ways with eight and six being one of the more popular (plus a skip week near the end to account for special events, holidays, or just to build suspense).
Both ABC and AMC (AMCX) have adopted the model to great success. ABC converted almost its entire network business model for dramas to the “batch” system, which produced a noticeable increase in viewership and demographic ratings. Meanwhile, AMC has used it for every season of The Walking Dead since the show’s sophomore year to similar results. Part of the success is that all three networks are upfront with viewers about it in the beginning; a lesson NBC learned when it tried the method with Revolution. It’s a mistake NBC won’t make again as it preps next fall’s split season of The Blacklist, which should see a more favorable result.