As some genres and trends are fading out, some new things need to be fading in.

As some of you might know, there was a very positive mention (and I am using the word “positive” in a very humble fashion) of our newsletter by the peeps at f. & co on a CBC/Radio-Canada radio show on Saturday. It seems many people think a lot of good about our weekly email and I can only thank you all, sincerely, for taking the time to open it week in and week out. (Ok, end of the New-Year-thank-you-stuff, let’s get down to business.)

Much like the print business of magazines and newspapers, television is going through a revolution. 2013 was what I think a year we will look back at as a key moment at which things really started to change. We’ve known for a while the model (business-wise) in itself wasn’t 100% sustainable, but we really saw things happen on many fronts last year.

What should “television” do this year? Jason Lynch, former TV editor at People Magazine put pen to paper and listed five key things that should start happening in the next 12 months, or else…:

  1. Cultivate more event programming: Big, unique, live events, have proven to work (in the US at least).
  2. Make “live plus 7” the new advertising standard: This is really industry-lingo, but basically it means taking into account, for advertising sales, the fact that people do not watch shows when they air, but sometimes as much as 7 days later (online, DVRs, etc.).
  3. Plan for life after talent competitions: The Voice, American Idol and the like have shown signs of fatigue. They are on their way out.
  4. Sometimes, less is more: Miniseries were a thing once, then not. They are coming back.
  5. Take back the thunder that Netflix stole this year: Large broadcasters and networks need to embrace binge-viewing in all its glory. Also look at how they approach their big series, there’s something to be learned there.

I’ve really summed up each point. I suggest you head over to Quartz and read the entire article, well worth the read.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE >