Low Winter Sun might have a shot at a 2nd season to turn things around
AMC may be standing behind LWS despite disappointing ratings and mediocre critical reception.
At a recent dinner for media investors Josh Sapan, president and CEO of AMC Networks talked about Netflix, Hulu and online platforms that are helping good shows find audiences. It's funny that he stuffed LWS in between Mad Men and BrBa in an obvious attempt to bring attention to the show.
“Good shows have a much greater chance over time in finding an audience that connects with them and stays with them because there is not a compressed time where one must discover them,” said Josh Sapan, president and CEO of AMC Networks, at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference on Wednesday in Beverly Hills. “If you haven’t seen ‘Breaking Bad,’ ‘Low Winter Sun,’ ‘Mad Men,’ you can catch up, and that’s what people are doing and that is giving a huge boost of support for dramas.”
“We don’t judge a show in five episodes because that’s not how consumers are consuming them,” he said. “There’s a pattern of consumption and referral that happens over time.
Ratings for “Breaking Bad” (pictured above) and “Mad Men” in their first two seasons “were modest,” Sapan said. “The shows were good, but (ratings) grew,” with those for “Breaking Bad” up 50% in season four and still climbing in its fifth and final season, airing now. “That’s a testament to technology,” Sapan said, and the further adoption of streaming services and digital VOD “that’s been financially rewarding” for AMC Networks — especially in other countries.
As a result of those nontraditional platforms, AMC Networks has been able to better compete with broadcasters and cable rivals, especially when it comes to drama.
Again the difference between the two after-mentioned is they had a much better critical reception and they held a small, but steady audience from the beginning (LWS has lost 1.5 million viewers since the pilot). But his comments also illustrate the fact that... either they have confidence the wobbily start will take off (funny I don't think the episodes would be any less boring commercial free and in a Netflix marathon) or they don't have a suitable backup replacement in development if this show fails. Either way his comments hit the mark for any quality scripted serial.
He did provide some insight on 'The Killing' and it's investment with LWS:
The show’s third season rated higher than new cop drama “Low Winter Sun,” and Sapan said the cancellation “was done with some reluctance. We did make an evaluation that was made over a long period of time as to whether the show was ultimately sustainable and the best economic thing we could do from a resource point of view. It was not an easy decision and ultimately a business decision that caused us not to go forward with it.
“We think it’s a wonderful piece of TV as crafted by the people who made it,” he added. “The lead cast this season was nothing short of spectacular.”
Knowing AMC and their history with shows... maybe they felt they couldn't 'work' with the crew of The Killing verses LWS. Regardless of The Killings flaws they had a more marketable pairing with Joel Kinneman & Mirelle Enos vs Mark Strong and Lennie James. But who knows.
http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/amc-exec-breaking-bad-mad-men-prove-mu ltiplatform-deals-boost-ratings-1200607673/
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