American Prime-Time Drama
American Hit Series travel around the World
After successful performances of American hits such as "Lost", "Desperate Housewives", " 24", and "CSI" on prime-time slots, television networks around the world are inspired by the American drama series. High quality American series are traveling around the world, gaining a stronger foothold, and ousting traditional local television drama from prime-time schedules. New York, Moscow, Tokyo, Paris, Shanghai, Rome, and Warsaw. - it is difficult to find a city where American television hits are not watched by millions of viewers on prime-time slots.
"Great storytelling, compelling characters, and increased production values are all key ingredients that have contributed to the success of shows such as "CSI", CSI: Miami", CSI: NY", as well as " 24", "Lost", etc, and also have a clear theatrical look/quality" - says Philippe Renouard, Vice President of Sales, Head of Drama, Alliance Atlantis Communications. "CSI" entered into the TOP 10 in most countries where it was aired, and became the most watched drama series around the globe.
"24", "Prison Break" and "The Simpsons", Fox "brand-defining shows" in the US, continue to gain wide audiences in the US and around the word. "However, the marketplace has become so diverse and fragmented that many of our series are highly successful in the U.S., depending upon the show's appeal to its "core-audience" - comments Mike Bessolo, SVP of Marketing, Publicity and Promotion at Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution - "For example, " 24" and "Prison Break" appeal to a young-skewing audience, and attract the "hard-to-reach" males (12-24 and 18-34), and they are among our most successful dramas on FOX in this category. Conversely, "The Unit" on CBS (CBS' #1 new drama in 2005-2006) attracts a broad audience, and "Boston Legal" on ABC does well with women and viewers that enjoy dramedy, a trend started by "Ally McBeal". " 24" and "Prison Break" are two great examples of successful serialized dramas. People who watch these shows enjoy the 22-week action-packed ride of following one storyline from the beginning to the end.with a pay-off ending each season. Of course, "The Simpsons" remains our all-time best performing series, still ranking at the top with men (18-34) after 18 seasons, but "My Name Is Earl" is also popular, ranking as NBC's #1 comedy among adults (18-34)".
Nearly every Fox series has aired outside the U.S. at one time or another in one or more territories. Currently among dramas, " 24", "Prison Break" and to some extent, "Bones", have become important brands to Fox clients; and newcomer "Shark" may likely fall into this classification in 2007. Among comedies, "My Name Is Earl" and "How I Met Your Mother" have become strong international performers, appearing to successfully cross the cultural-comedy-barrier. 20th's perennial brand-favorites such as "Buffy", "The Vampire Slayer", "Ally McBeal" and "The X-Files" continue to perform well as library series. However, "The Simpsons" still remains Fox most sought-after comedy. Aired in around 100 countries around the globe, "The Simpsons" cut cultural barriers and attract audiences of all ages.
The franchise from NBC Universal Television Studio and Wolf Films, which include "Law & Order", "Law & Order: Criminal Intent", "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Law & Order: Trail by Jury" that recently surpassed 650 episodes, air on average 45-times-a-week on the US television networks NBC, TNT and USA Network, and has been licensed to more than 180 countries around the world. Last year, the brand generated over one billion dollars in advertising revenue, and has spawned lucrative ancillary revenue from DVDs, books and video games, and has become a cultural phenomenon. This year, NBC Universal International Television Distribution, Wolf Films, and NTV have announced format deals for Russian production company 2V and Global American Television (GATV) to co-produce localized Russian versions of famed creator/executive producer Dick Wolf's hit series "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and "Law & Order: SVU". Dick Wolf, the architect of "Law & Order", one of the most successful brands in the history of television, comments this deal: "Great drama is both universal and timeless, but there is no question its impact is even greater for audiences when adapted to reflect the complexities and nuances of local culture". Indeed, these unprecedented agreements mark the first time in Russian history a U.S. drama series will be remade for a local audience. A French version of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent", announced in July 2005, is currently in pre-production and slated for a spring 2007 launch on TF1. NBC Universal hit series "House", "Battlestar Galactica" and "Monk" have become successful brands in the U.S. and many Western European countries. The 2006 season highlights "Heroes" and "Friday Night Lights" ranked in the Top 10 prime-time television programs in the US. "Heroes", created by Tim Kring and NBC Universal Studio, has shown brilliant ratings from the beginning of the performance and attracted 13.5 million viewers on NBC.
The highlights of Warner Bros. major prime-time series for the 2006/07-television season in the US include: "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", "The Nine", "Smith", "Justice" and "The Class". These titles are just some of the shows WBITV is launching on prime-time television in the US this season, as well as actively selling into Europe. Of the continuing series, titles like "ER", "Without a Trace", "The O.C.", "Nip/Tuck", "Smallville", "Gilmore Girls" and "Two and a Half Men" continue to air in many countries in Europe, and last season's hit shows "Supernatural" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine" are also being launched in more and more countries throughout Europe. |
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Heroes
NBC Universal
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