The Effects of Prime Time Sub-Branding in Network Television: An Analysis of NBC’s “Must See TV” A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Elizabeth A. Yanak In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Master of Science in Television Management August 2012 Acknowledgements Thank you to Drexel University for the immense number of available resources, especially those available online through the university library. I would like to recognize the superior direction of my advisor Andrew Susskind. He not only guided me in discovering excellent publications and interviewees, but also provided me with critical and much-needed motivation in order to finish this thesis. I would also like to thank the Television Management Program Director, Albert Tedesco, for his support and understanding throughout this entire process. I am very thankful to those who agreed to interviews for this thesis. Hearing about their firsthand experiences in network television was critical to this case study, but also has reinforced my desire to work in the television industry. I would like to thank my colleagues both in the Television Management program and at my current place of work. Your constructive criticism, brainstorming sessions about related media trends, and friendship was appreciated beyond words. I lastly would like to thank my family and boyfriend. I will never forget the immense amount of love and support you have given me throughout this endeavor. iii Table of Contents LIST OF APPENDIXES ....................................................................................................iv ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................v CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................1 Introduction .............................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................1 Background and Need .............................................................................................4 Purpose of the Study................................................................................................8 Research Questions ...............................................................................................10 Significance to the Field........................................................................................10 Definition of Terms ...............................................................................................11 Ethical Considerations...........................................................................................13 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ....................................................14 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY..........................................................................23 Research Questions ...............................................................................................24 Setting....................................................................................................................24 Sample ...................................................................................................................24 Measurement Instruments .....................................................................................26 Limitations.............................................................................................................26 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS..........................................................................................28 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION ...................................................................................45 Discussion .............................................................................................................46 Limitations.............................................................................................................48 Recommendations for Future Research ................................................................48 LIST OF REFERENCES ..................................................................................................49 iv APPENDIXES...................................................................................................................54 Appendix A: Average Thursday Prime Time Ratings ..........................................54 Appendix B: Average Thursday Prime Time Shares ............................................81 Appendix C: Interview Questions .......................................................................108 Appendix D: Thursday Primetime Schedules .....................................................109 v Abstract The Effects of Prime Time Sub-Branding in Network Television: An Analysis of “Must See TV” Elizabeth A. Yanak Andrew Susskind, Advisor With the accelerated growth of niche branded cable networks and content providers, consumers are better able to find programming that fits their wants and demographic traits. For traditional broadcast television networks, it is crucial to explore innovative, yet consistent branding strategies to attract desired audiences not only to support their advertising-based revenue model, but also to stay competitive in a highly saturated television landscape. One branding strategy that has been explored in the past is the use of sub-brands for certain daypart blocks of programming. In order to understand a successful sub-branding strategy, this research examines NBC’s Thursday prime time sub-brand, Must See TV. A case study was conducted with both interviews and the collection of Nielsen ratings, which was organized using Excel to review the following research questions: 1. What were the core elements of the Must See TV brand? 2. What was Must See TV’s promotional strategy over its lifetime? 3. How did this daypart block fare with audiences and against competition? 4. Why did its success of Must See TV end? The results of this case study gave insight to the strengths and weaknesses of Must See TV. Ratings and Share averages revealed broadcast network audience comparisons from fall 1989 to summer 2007. Interviews with current and former NBC employees gave more clarity to the brand from a promotional standpoint, and observed industry publications showed how the brand was perceived outside of the network. 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Several events during the 1980s led to momentous change in the television industry, including new ownership of the “Big Three” broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC), the addition of newcomer network FOX, and the early development of “niche” branded cable networks (Auletta, 1992). Audiences have flocked to these cable networks, which are able to differentiate their brands with products (aka programs) that target smaller, more defined demographic markets. Anyone with an interest in the television industry must consider how this has affected the traditional broadcast networks, which look to target larger audiences comprised of multiple demographic groups with various programming genres across their schedules. This new television landscape full of immense competition will only continue to present challenges to the traditional networks, which will need to embrace these challenges as opportunities for creating and nurturing successful branding strategies. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM With the accelerated growth of niche-branded cable networks and content providers, consumers are better able to find programming that fits their wants and demographic traits. For traditional broadcast television networks, it is crucial to explore innovative, yet consistent branding strategies to attract desired audiences not only to support their advertising-based revenue model, but also to stay competitive in a television landscape saturated with hundreds of channels. One branding strategy that has been explored in the past is the use of sub-brands for certain daypart blocks of programming. 2 In order to understand a successful sub-branding strategy, this research examines NBC’s Thursday prime time sub-brand, Must See TV. “Although the audience for broadcast television doesn’t seem to explicitly understand that each network has a brand of some sort – a type of show it uses to lure the kind of viewers it wants – subconsciously they must” (Goodman, 2010). Tim Goodman of the Hollywood Reporter made this statement about the potential of the renewal of FX’s Terriers. In September 2010, Terriers premiered on the FX network, and was described as “an American crime comedy-drama” series ("FX sets fall schedule for original series," 2012). Terriers was well received by critics, who included the series on several top-10 series lists that fall ("Critic reviews for Terriers season 1," n.d.). Despite the critical acclaim and a loyal fan following, it produced low ratings, a common problem when a show with potential does not match the brand of the network it airs on. Terriers was later cancelled in December of 2012 after only one season. In Goodman words, Terriers took “way too long to reflect the brand” (Goodman, 2010). According to Nielsen Media Research (2012), while the number of US television households steadily rose from 102.2 million in 2001 to 115.9 million in 2011, it has more recently experienced an estimated decrease to 114.7 in 2012. Overall, the number of television households has risen since the early-2000s, but the increasing number of channels available to