US cable market analysis

Honey We're Killing the Kids

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More UK shows than ever are crossing the Atlantic, with Brits behind many US TV ratings bankers.

With a record number of UK shows being piloted on the US networks and British screen talent such as Cat Deeley, Simon Cowell and Ant and Dec in demand in Hollywood, the chances of hitting the big time in the world’s largest TV market have never looked -better for the Brits.

Indeed, with a sixth season of Fox’s American Idol and the latest series of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars currently ruling the ratings, British producers are already responsible for two of the top-rated shows on US TV, not to mention numerous other smaller successes, from ABC’s Wife Swap and Supernanny to TLC’s Honey We’re Killing the Kids and What Not to Wear.

With development season in full swing, though, all eyes are on the latest crop of pilots vying for a slot on the new fall schedules, which the networks will unveil to advertisers in May. And this year the big news is the number of scripted formats crossing the pond, from BBC Worldwide’s I’m with Stupid, which is being developed for NBC, to Shed’s Footballers’ Wives and Kudos’ Life on Mars, both being remade for ABC.

With the average US home now receiving more than 100 channels, there are plenty of opportunities beyond the big five broadcast networks for selling finished shows or formats or even securing original commissions.

Cable Networks

HBO
While Carrie Bradshaw might have hung up her Manolo Blahniks and The Sopranos look set to go out with a bang at the end of this current season, HBO continues to set the standard for innovative programming, thanks largely to the fact that it doesn’t have to worry about keeping advertisers happy.
With 40 million subscribers, the Time Warner-owned channel remains by far the most successful premium pay-TV network in the US, and despite the pressure to find new hits to replace The Sopranos and Sex and the City, it continues to enjoy critical acclaim, from edgy dramas such as The Wire and Deadwood, to cult comedy Entourage, and hard-hitting documentaries such as Spike Lee’s When the Levees Broke.

With its reputation for creativity, the network also continues to attract UK producers and broadcasters and the past year has seen it enjoy success with Extras and the historical drama Rome, both of which were co-produced with the BBC, as well as the Company Pictures miniseries Elizabeth I, which scooped three Golden Globes and nine primetime Emmys (out of a total of 26 Emmys for the channel – the most of any US network for the fourth year in a row).

Further strengthening its ties with the UK, the channel recently announced plans to cross the Atlantic, with the launch of a branded subscription VoD service on Virgin Media, BT Vision and Tiscali TV.
Carolyn Strauss, president of HBO Entertainment, heads the channel’s drama commissioning, while factual programming is headed by Sheila Nevins, president, HBO Documentary Films.

TLC
Discovery-owned TLC has enjoyed an impressive turnaround under outgoing general manager David Abraham, who returns to the UK to run UKTV this April. Just two years ago, the lifestyle channel was struggling to develop a follow-up for its flagship show, a US remake of the BBC’s Trading Spaces, which had proved a huge hit for the channel until its success prompted a raft of similar makeover shows on rival networks.

But since Abraham’s arrival in 2005, the channel has seen its ratings recover, thanks to a string of commissions, including UK formats such as Honey We’re Killing the Kids and House of Tiny Terrors, both produced by BBC Productions USA. Other key shows include Little People Big World and What Not to Wear, while recent commissions include Mind Your Manners, Family Surgeons and My First House.

TLC’s UK-based director of development, Ed Crick, says the channel is looking to build on the past 12 months of ratings growth by continuing its focus in the fashion, property, medical and “gearhead” space, supported by strong acquisitions and co-productions. “We balance the slate with clever and bold programming that’s entertainment first and foremost, whether a light reality show, a compelling doc soap with big characters or a transformation show with a twist,” says Crick.

GSN
Jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation, GSN is the only US television network dedicated to game-related programming and interactive game playing, covering everything from gameshows and reality series to documentaries and casino games.

Available in more than 60 million homes in the US, the channel is home to reruns of classic gameshows like Jeopardy, but also commissions a broad slate of original shows. Key original productions include a US version of Dutch gameshow Lingo, now in its sixth season, Chain Reaction and World Series of Blackjack.

New shows in production include Without Prejudice, based on the Channel 4 series created by 12 Yard, while series in development include US remakes of Lion Television’s Irish reality show The Box, where contestants have to live and compete in a glass box, and Monkey’s Grand Slam, which pits 16 winners of different gameshows against each other.

“With game programmes performing well for the broadcast networks, it became imperative for GSN to produce series that would garner attention in an already competitive marketplace,” says Jamie Roberts, senior VP of programming for the channel. “We’re adding fresh elements that push games and competitions in the US into new territories.”

GSN has also been a pioneer in interactive TV in the US and has recently launched a late-night participation TV programming block, produced by the UK’s Optimistic Entertainment.

Whistleblowers

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OXYGEN
Founded in 2000 by Oprah Winfrey, cable pioneer Geraldine Laybourne and leading independent production company Carsey-Werner, Oxygen has only recently begun to make a name for itself, thanks to breakout shows such as The Janice Dickinson Modelling Agency, reality show The Bad Girls Club, and scripted comedy Campus Ladies, which ID Distribution has just licensed to Living TV in the UK.

Targeted at younger women, the channel now reaches 71 million homes in the US and expects to hit 80 million this year, giving it pretty complete distribution of the country. Audiences are also on the up, though still small, averaging 250,000 viewers in primetime in 2006.

Original programming is heavy on comedy and reality shows and its latest series include World of Wonder’s Tori & Dean: Inn Love, which follows Tori Spelling and her actor husband Dean McDermott as they open their own bed and breakfast. The channel has also enjoyed success with its UK comedy shows, first as a co-production partner on Absolutely Fabulous, and more recently with Five’s Suburban Shootout and the BBC’s Nighty Night.

BBC AMERICA
With a schedule dedicated to showcasing the best of British television, BBC America is by far the largest outlet for UK programming in the US and its output has contributed greatly to Hollywood’s current interest in British formats and talent.

Shows such as The Office, The Kumars at No 42 and Teachers all debuted on BBC America before being remade for broadcast networks, as did most of the current crop of UK shows in development for next season, including Life on Mars and Footballers’ Wives.

Now in its ninth year, the digital cable and satellite channel is currently available in over 53 million homes in the US and increasing that number is likely to be a key goal for former NBC and Fox executive Garth Ancier, who was appointed president of BBC Worldwide’s US operations in February.

Creating some original hits of his own will be another priority for Ancier but the channel is likely to remain a key buyer of British programming. It currently acquires over 700 hours a year from the UK and has been broadening its line-up of programming under general manager Kathryn Mitchell, as well as stepping up its co-production activities.

Recent ratings successes include Tiger Aspect’s Robin Hood, which gave the channel some of its best ever ratings when it debuted in March – a cumulative figure of 2.6 million viewers saw the first two episodes – The State Within and Jam & Jerusalem (called Clatterford in the US).

Coming up over the summer are the fifth season of Footballers’ Wives, the second season of Life on Mars and two new co-productions, Jekyll and Low Winter Sun.