With streaming methods abruptly shifting to AVODs and publishers repeatedly reporting losses in the hundreds of millions, the TV market has by no means been extra risky—that’s, except you’re A+E Networks.
Although some publishers could also be pulling again on content material amid unsure financial situations, with no high-cost SVOD streaming platform to weigh it down, A+E Networks is producing greater than ever, asserting 2,500 hours of content material forward of its digital 2023-2024 upfront on Wednesday.
“It’s essentially the most content material that we’ve ever produced in our historical past,” Peter Olsen, president of ad sales at A+E Networks, advised Adweek.
And that content material comes with marquee expertise throughout a portfolio consisting of The Historical past Channel, Lifetime, A&E and Dwelling.Made.Nation.
The Historical past Channel is launching a serious initiative main as much as the 250th anniversary of the U.S. in 2026 and partnering with a number of stars forward of the milestone. Upcoming initiatives embrace Kevin Costner’s The West, Black Patriots: The 761st Battalion from Morgan Freeman and FDR from Bradley Cooper and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.
In the meantime, Lifetime has programming coming from huge names reminiscent of Janet Jackson, and A&E is asserting Kings of BBQ with Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer.
General, the corporate is totally embracing its identification as a content material producer, with touchpoints throughout linear, web sites, podcasts, apps, DTC, AVOD and SVOD platforms.
“Our purpose inside this media evolution is to fulfill audiences wherever and nevertheless they eat content material by working with nice worldwide storytellers to develop and execute their imaginative and prescient,” Paul Buccieri, president and chairman, A+E Networks Group, stated in a press release.
Olsen beforehand advised Adweek the corporate companions with “virtually every streamer,” and that’s nonetheless the case heading into the brand new upfront season.
“We’re nonetheless promoting content material to nearly all companions,” Olsen stated. “We don’t have a walled-garden strategy to it.”
In 2022, the corporate targeted on going past demographics and reaching individuals of all ages as a substitute of simply the coveted 25-54 demo. Given so many touchpoints, Olsen advised Adweek that technique is inherently in-built throughout its platforms.
And the content material plan is paying off.
The corporate stated that by way of complete consumption throughout platforms (linear, FAST/AVOD, SVOD, CTV and digital), A+E Networks was on par with the earlier yr and greater than 4% forward of pre-Covid (fiscal 2019) in 2022, which Olsen has credited to customers returning to manufacturers they love in a cluttered media panorama.
A community of options
Although “cluttered” is a little bit of an understatement. In spite of everything, in 2022, Tv output elevated to 599 scripted sequence—essentially the most of all time, in line with FX’s annual tally. However regardless of the competitors and the fixed change within the TV business, Olsen stated A+E Networks is unfazed.
“We’re simply embracing this new media panorama and acknowledging that the place all of it ends, we don’t know,” Olsen stated. “However the place it ends—content material, expertise, storytelling and having a number of income streams or the power to pivot as we go—units us up fairly properly.”
In line with that “embracing” mindset, the corporate isn’t essentially pushing its personal targets on advertisers in 2023. As a substitute, A+E Networks is specializing in customized options, particularly with macroeconomic situations resulting in a soft ad market to close out 2022.
The corporate’s digital upfront additionally feeds into the customized answer technique. Forgoing a giant, in-person occasion in favor of a digital choice and smaller consumer conferences permits the corporate to succeed in extra individuals with extra bespoke options. In spite of everything, as Olsen defined, there’s no “one-size-fits-all” plan, and every consumer has a “totally different perspective on what success appears like.”
“It is a yr the place we’re listening to the advertisers’ challenges and attempting to reply. We’re not like, ‘Listed here are our 5 priorities,’” Olsen stated. “It’s no matter your priorities are, we’ll do our greatest to unravel.”
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