◄ IMDb Polls
Poll: Episodic Series That Can Build a Media Empire
In 2019, subscription video streaming services, Apple TV+ and Disney+ will debut with more media conglomerates joining them in 2020 and beyond. Soon, every major media company will have its own dedicated streaming service and consumers will have more entertainment options to choose from. Programming exclusive content is imperative to enticing viewers to join and retaining existing subscribers. Each streaming service must have at least one series that viewers consider indispensable, thus allowing subscribers to justify the monthly fee. These tent-pole series fuel subscriber growth and subsidize other series that fill out program line-ups. Empires have been built and lost on the success or failure of entertainment franchises like these.
Record SVOD pacts have been inked for "The Simpsons" and "Friends" in the past few years. But, even outspending the competition is not enough to seal the deal sometimes; as Netflix learned when it lost its two most streamed series, "The Office" and "Friends" to competing networks. The loss is a significant blow, as Netflix users streamed the two series for a combined 85 billion minutes in 2018 alone. "The Office" will be homebound for NBCUniversal's streaming service launching in 2021. Likewise, "Friends" will be the cornerstone of producer's WarnerMedia streaming service launching in 2020. The feeding frenzy for top-tier shows will only intensify as the number of subscription services multiply.
As the hypothetical head of a subscription streaming service, which of these episodic franchise series would you most like to secure exclusive rights* as your tent-pole series? *exclusive rights include franchise prequels, sequels, spin-offs or related series
