Why Bloated TV Networks Keep Making More Shows (Guest Blog)

Blame Tony Soprano and Daenerys Targaryen

Gone are the days when only the big networks created original TV content.

Some of the most popular original series don't air on the major broadcast stations and aren't on primetime TV. Premium networks (e.g., HBO, Showtime), high-end cable networks (e.g., AMC, FX) and even mid- and low-tier cable networks (e.g., TLC, Bravo) have entered the game, offering exclusive, high-quality, highly entertaining programming.

Networks that once specialized in reality shows have inserted original scripted content into their lineups. For example, "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce" debuted on Bravo in late 2014, and E! introduced "The Royals" just months later.

Also Read: Why Broadcast TV Advertising Is in Trouble (Guest Blog)

Given the prevalence of the high-quality original content that we enjoy today, it's no wonder so many critics and fans agree that we are truly in a new golden age of TV. But what spurred so many premium and cable networks to create original content? Two seismic events happened.

The first is an explosion in the number of channels available. In the 1990s and early 2000s, new networks joined cable TV slates, providing consumers with well over 200 channels. These channels then filled their lineups with syndicated reruns of original content created by or for broadcast networks (think "Seinfeld" and "Friends" reruns).

The second major event was the airing of "The Sopranos," one of HBO's very first big, high-quality original shows, which premiered in early 1999. HBO has since aired hit after hit ("Game of Thrones," anyone?), challenging other cable TV networks to create their own original content.

Also Read: Viewers Still Prefer Traditional TV Content - But Streaming Is Gaining Fast (Guest Blog)

The networks did just that, and content made for cable TV channels got really good — and ultimately spawned an arms race among them. HBO upped the ante with "The Wire" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" to name a couple, and then Showtime raised it again with "Dexter," "Homeland" and now the new show "Billions" (which, we must say, is awesome). "Black Sails" on Starz and "Banshee" on Cinemax are other acclaimed series.

Premium networks aren't the only contenders in this game. Top-tier cable channels such as FX, AMC, TNT, USA and several others all have multiple hit shows. Even lower-tier networks like TLC and Bravo are now airing their own exclusive shows. And let's not forget Amazon, Netflix and Hulu, all of which produce their own fantastic content — clearly, the proliferation of programming has now extended beyond merely channels.

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Networks still air movies and reruns. But these days, your friends don't ask you whether you caught the Saturday night movie. Instead, they ask whether you saw the most recent episode of "The Walking Dead." After all, excellent original programming is everywhere.

But the ultimate question is: With so much original content already available, why do networks keep dumping more and more money into it?

As you might have guessed, the answer is economics. Original content that viewers can watch only on a particular channel is incredibly valuable when it is genuinely good. Think about it: "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" made AMC a powerhouse for original content. Now AMC commands more money from distributors (e.g., Time Warner Cable, Dish) to carry its channel and from advertisers that want their ads to air during its hit shows.

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As much as we enjoy excellent original programming, it's expensive to produce. And it creates problems for network economics (see table below). Over the next several weeks, we'll explore a number of these problems in detail.

Next week, we will look at the number of original shows being produced and the shocking cost increases in their production.

This is Part 4 in a series on television trends by Dan Schechter, Gil Moran and Michael Kaufman from L.E.K. Consulting's Media & Entertainment consulting practice.

When Daenerys Targaryen left her home in Pentos over 50 "Game of Thrones" episodes ago, she was a meek mouse. Now she's the mighty Queen of Dragons, striving to bring all of Essos -- and perhaps one day Westeros -- to its knees. Her fiery destruction of Vaes Dothrak is just the latest of her most dramatic moments across the water.

Also Read: 'Game of Thrones': All of The Biggest Moments Of Season 6 [SPOILERS] (Photos)

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Waking A Dragon

Daenerys began as the timid little sister of the insane Viserys Targaryen, but by episode 4 she wasn't going to take her brother's abuse lying down anymore. "The next time you raise a hand to me," she declared, "will be the last time you have hands!"

Watch the video here.

HBO

Blood of the Dragon

One of the queasiest moments in 'GoT' history, to be sure. Still, eating a stallion's heart taught Daenerys to embrace the world of which she's now a part, and to do what's necessary to earn the respect of others.

Watch the video here.

HBO

Birth of Dragons

With faith in her bloodline and herself, Daenerys walked into Drogo's funeral pyre and gave birth to her three dragons. George R.R. Martin said that this was a one-time magical moment in the books, but that doesn't seem to be the case on the TV series.

Watch the video here.

HBO

Burning Pyat Pree

Through much of season two, Daenerys' dragons were helpless creatures who needed their mother for protection. Pyat Pree thought that a woman and three little reptiles would be an easy capture. Then his robes caught fire.

Watch the video here.

HBO

"DRACARYS!"

Daenerys possesses the kindness of her brother Rheagar, but also her father's penchant for destruction and trickery. She uses the greed of Astapor's slavers against them, promising them one of her dragons in exchange for their armies. Of course, she neglected to tell them that dragons aren't slaves.

Watch the video here.

HBO

Negotiations

Dany continued to use her dragons' nature as a loophole to protect herself. When talks with the Yunkai slavers went south, one of them threatened to destroy her. Daenerys responded by noting that while she agreed to peaceful negotiations, her dragons did not. Cue intimidating snarls and roars.

Watch the video here.

HBO

"Mhysa!"

This is one of the more controversial moments in "Game of Thrones" history, as some argue that the sight of Dany crowdsurfing on liberated Yunkai slaves is the "white savior" trope at its most egregious. Later seasons have observed a course correction, so this scene now feels more like a moment of relief in a series filled with tragedy.

Watch the video here.

HBO

Catapults

This might be the coolest example of psychological warfare "Game of Thrones" has ever cooked up. In a move meant to terrify the slavers and bring hope to the enslaved, Daenerys ordered that barrels with some intriguing contents be launched at Meereen. What was inside? Broken slave collars.

Watch the video here.

HBO

HBO

HBO

HBO

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Many have underestimated Daenerys Stormborn. Few were allowed to live to regret it

When Daenerys Targaryen left her home in Pentos over 50 "Game of Thrones" episodes ago, she was a meek mouse. Now she's the mighty Queen of Dragons, striving to bring all of Essos -- and perhaps one day Westeros -- to its knees. Her fiery destruction of Vaes Dothrak is just the latest of her most dramatic moments across the water.

Also Read: 'Game of Thrones': All of The Biggest Moments Of Season 6 [SPOILERS] (Photos)

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Source: Why Bloated TV Networks Keep Making More Shows (Guest Blog)