The final of Succession will not only mark the culmination of the internal wars of the Roy clan. It could signal the end of a pivotal period in television, known as the “peak TV” era.
This theory was recently the subject of an article in the FinancialTimes1. And everything indicates that it holds the road, confirm us actors and observers of the industry.
But before going any further, let’s clarify the meaning and origin of the expression “peak TV”, which could be translated into French as “surgorgement télé”. It comes from the American John Landgraf, big boss of the FX network, who concocted it in 2015 to describe the almost overwhelming number of scripted content available to the public, when Netflix began its irresistible push, alongside platforms like Prime Video and Hulu. In other words, it is a formula used to describe “an unprecedented period in terms of the number of fiction series produced annually”, summarizes Stéfany Boisvert, professor at the School of Media at the University of Quebec to Montreal.
When Landgraf first uttered the term, several video-on-demand services had yet to hatch, like Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV+, and Peacock. Little did he know that the era of “peak TV” was far from having reached its real “peak” and that it was going to drag on for several years. Apart from a slight decline in 2020 due to a certain global pandemic, growth has remained strong. Last year, no less than 599 fiction series emerged, according to variety. Yet another record.
Barring a twist worthy of a season finale of District 31, this peak will not be equaled this year. According to a report by Ampere Analytics examining the “cold war” of streaming giants in the United States published last March, investments by American platforms “have started to plateau”.
If the objective of video on demand services was, until 2022, to increase their number of subscribers, in 2023, their primary goal is to be profitable, which pushes certain players, such as Paramount+, Warner Bros. and Disney to cut spending. They may recognize that they need to revise their strategy.
Excerpt from an Ampere Analytics report on the “cold war” of the American streaming giants
Can a large-scale series like Succession, which paints the portrait of a family as rich as it is dysfunctional, could be born in such a context? Nothing is less certain, especially when we take a look at the headlines of the last few months: massive layoffs at Disney and HBO Max, subscription downturns, cancellation of series, etc. Because it takes a lot, a lot of money to film all those helicopter rides, summit meetings and social gatherings that make up the daily lives of Logan, Kendall, Shiv, Roman and company, it’s easy to imagine a broadcaster rejecting such an ambitious production. . When Crave relays the final of Successionon May 28, we can consider ourselves lucky that the work created by Jesse Armstrong received the green light from HBO in 2017, when everyone was spending lavishly.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CRAVE
Brian Cox plays Logan Roy in Succession.
The diversity of series under threat
Other data from Ampere Analytics confirms the slowdown seen in the land of Uncle Sam. In January and February, the number of orders for shows for US audiences had fallen by 24% compared to the same interval in 2022.
According to Professor Stéfany Boisvert, the average viewer will not necessarily feel this decline, since there are not enough hours in a day to consume all the hours of available content anyway.
But beware. The sluggishness of the global economy, combined with the concern for the profitability of the platforms, risks having a perverse effect. The diversity of series could be threatened. “The giants could favor consensual series that rally a large audience,” says Stéfany Boisvert. It can harm the series of authors. It can also harm series like Succession, which take time to get good ratings. Companies could be tempted to quickly cancel works that could become significant. »
In Quebec
The end of the “peak TV” era also affects Quebec, says Nicola Merola, president of Pixcom, the box behind Indefensible And Alerts.
“For several years, Bell Media has been investing in fiction. Radio-Canada and TVA continue to do so, like Tou.tv and Club illico. There were orders like never before. It’s not something that can last, because there’s not enough money in our ecosystem. »
In addition, Nicola Merola observes a “contraction” of the audiovisual sector in Quebec recently.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, ARCHIVES SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Nicola Merola, President of Pixcom
Among producers, we feel that there are fewer orders for fiction series today compared to 2022 and 2021.
Nicola Merola, President of Pixcom
At Bell Media, owner of Noovo and Crave, we deny this decline. “Currently, we are expanding,” says Sophie Parizeau, director general of fiction for the media group. We have no intention of slowing down. »
Co-production to the rescue
According to Nicola Merola, the Quebec community should favor co-production to continue to offer a large volume of series. “In the United States, the number of channels that no longer have the means to finance series alone is increasing more and more. They need international partners. »
PHOTO YAN TURCOTTE, PROVIDED BY RADIO-CANADA
France Castel embodies Loulou Hébert in Sleepless night.
Pixcom was also inspired by a similar model to resuscitate Sleepless night, which Radio-Canada had disconnected after a single season. The series will have a sequel on Prime Video and Séries+, which have joined forces for the occasion. “Series+ could never have financed this series on its own”, summarizes Nicola Merola.
Bell Media recently announced the start of a series on Leonard Cohen, a Canada-Norway-Greece co-production.
Series Succession is offered on Crave. New episode every Sunday at 9 p.m.