Welcome to the blog of Dr. Lisa Burns' Media Studies senior capstone class (Section A) at Quinnipiac University. If you're looking for the latest on media industry trends and insightful media analysis, you've come to the right place.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Lifestyle & Niche Media Blog 4, Question 1 (Feb. 21st)
What is the appeal of lifestyle and
niche cable TV channels and/or programming? How are these channels/programs
managing to retain viewers in the SVOD era? Limit: 8 responses
I personally believe much of the modern success for these lifestyle and niche cable TV channels is a direct result of the current state of affairs. Historically, I think they have done well in part because there is literally something out there for everyone, particularly with the niche channels – if you have an interest, you can absolutely find a cable channel that will support your habit. Examples off the top of my head that come to mind are Animal Planet (for all our animal lovers out there), ION (which caters in large part to crime drama aficionados), CMT (country lovers unite!), and even HGTV (which let’s be real, I’m pretty sure everyone likes that channel – not just the homeowners). In a world of ever-increasing SVOD options, these lifestyle and niche channels have provided an easy option accessible for viewers directly on their TVs – no internet required, just cable.
Like I said previously, however, the current state of affairs has led more viewers to these channels to forget about everything that’s happening – or at least for the length of one episode. This idea was mentioned, as a reasoning for watching HGTV, by a freshman student at the Ohio State University when she said, “‘A lot of the news these days is really stressful… HGTV is not something that’s going to hurt me. I watch it and dream of what I want for my future house.’” (Smith). This opinion was shared by many in the last year as well. According to Bloomberg, “HGTV was one of the most-watched networks of the year, outpacing media stalwart CNN” (Desta). HGTV is only one example of a lifestyle and niche channel, but it is an example of one who knows how to capitalize on its viewership given the current times, and use that to ensure its future success. One could argue Animal Planet is just as successful, because really, who doesn’t get all warm and fuzzy inside from watching adorable animals roam in the wild? Maybe that’s just me.
I also believe it is worth mentioning that these channels are not immune to the pressures placed upon them by the SVOD era. Discovery Communications for instance is trying to aid its transition into a SVOD world sooner rather than later, by placing some of its content directly in the hands of consumes. Per CEO David Zaslav, Discovery has its own SVOD channel on Amazon, “True Crime Files” which is a subsidiary of Investigation Discovery that launched in November (Lafayette). The channel is attracting approximately 10,000 new subscribers per month, with a monthly charge of $4 (Lafayette). So perhaps surviving in an SVOD world isn’t so much an issue of solely retaining your cable viewers, but adding additional services that will still provide a profit for you and allow you to remain competitive – at the same time.
Finally, we might be seeing some of these channels disappear in coming years as SVOD continues to dominate the market and consumers want smaller cable bills, if they even have one at all. Peak TV may actually be what is killing these lifestyle and niche networks. According to Variety, “Channels such as Cloo… were born in a different era, when programmers had the leverage to demand carriage of lesser channels along with their bigger brands. In a skinny-bundle market, there’s no room for channels that don’t pull their weight in ratings” (Littleton). Perhaps the “platinum era of scripted television” we discussed last week in class will ultimately be responsible for the demise of cable television after all.
Desta, Yohana. “HGTV Helped People Cope with the Apocalyptic Gloom of 2016.” Vanity Fair. 28 Dec. 2016. Web.
Comment 1 Lifestyle and niche cable TV channels have always had an appeal. Channels like the Food Network, HGTV, Discovery, and TLC are channels that you can flip to when you just want to destress. They are like people's safe havens, they aren’t going to stress you out when it comes to conflict in the media or make you think about politics. They are channels and shows that will make you feel at home with just watching shows about food, or home improvement, or people finding the wedding dress of their dreams. Even if they aren’t necessarily getting married or flipping their houses people tune into these shows. “Nikki Justice doesn’t seem like she’d be a big fan of HGTV….she’s never owned a home, let alone flipped one… ‘A lot of the news these days is really stressful,’ she said. ‘HGTV is not something that’s going to hurt me. I watch it and dream of what I want for my future house.”’ (Smith) I find myself watching marathons of Chopped on the Food Network, Tiny House Hunters on HGTV, and Say Yes to the Dress on TLC when I have had a long day on both streaming and regular cable TV. I can’t cook, I am not a homeowner, and I definitely will not be getting married anytime soon but they are the shows that I chose when I need to destress. I am not going to pick a show like House of Cards on Netflix, The Walking Dead on AMC, or Scandal on Netflix to destress after a long day because even though I love them and enjoy watching them, they will stress me out even more. Niche and lifestyle TV also doesn’t have one demographic watching it. I’ve been watching TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress since I was in elementary school. It’s also safe to say that I have been watching any Food Network programming since then as well (and I still can’t cook). “[There is] No profanity or on-air fights. That’s why you always feel relatively safe watching…” (Desta) A family can sit in front of one of these shows and not have to worry about the language or sexual/violent sense because there literally are none. These channels are managing to retain viewers in the SVOD era because they are utilizing their platform of being safe havens.
Comment 2 You don’t have to see headlines of what Trump is doing you just see: “…a shabby house gets a makeover, and a happy couple moves in.” (Smith) Lifestyle and niche TV have also put their programming on streaming platforms as well so they can capitalize off people who are in a need of binging some safe and mindless TV. Niche and lifestyle TV also gives some constancy in the ever growing things that a consumer can watch. “VOD platforms allow niche filmmakers to connect with specific target audiences, uninhibited by geographic boundary. As market saturation increases, new entrants and industry leaders will need to determine whether to take the niche-content route to differentiate their services, or focus on attracting a mainstream audience to drive up their subscriber base.” (Paris-Mascicki) You will always know that you will have your home improvement shows and your Food network core “game shows” because they have lived through everything with you. They aren’t going anywhere because there will always be an audience for them.
Paris-Mascicki, Sarah. “The Niche VOD Approach: Can It Survive in The of TV Anywhere?” Ericsson 24 Nov. 2015. Web. Smith, Gerry. "HGTV Will Never Upset You - How the Network Beat CNN in 2016." Bloomburg 28 Dec. 2016. Web. Desta, Yohana. "HGTV Helped People Cope with the Apocalyptic Gloom of 2016." Vanity Fair 28 Dec. 2017. Web.
As can be seen from Gerry Smith’s example, people are drawn to lifestyle and niche TV programs as these programs provide them with an escape from the stress of their daily lives. They appeal to our desire to step into a world that just offers better quality of life. What lifestyle TV offers us is entertainment, information and relaxation, which more and more people are looking for especially in the midst of the political upheaval that has accompanied and followed the 2016 presidential elections. Contributing to these channels’ success, particularly HGTV’s financial success is its audience of college-educated upper-middle class women. HGTV charges nearly twice of what other networks charge for ads, and advertisers agree that the rates are fair for how affective they are. “Their ad rates are “about twice what other cable networks command, but advertisers are still happily willing to shell out because they see real results.” Writes Yohana Desta. Lifestyle and niche programs also minimize production costs because they are not scripted and no celebrities are being cast. In this sense, lifestyle and niche TV is similar to reality TV but offers more quality, attracting a different audience that generally has a larger purchasing power, which attracts advertisers. ““The key, Scripps executives agree, is a refusal to upset HGTV’s audience.”” Smith writes, accentuating lifestyle and niche TV’s appeal of comfort and pleasantry. Another direction that niche TV is taking is customization according to audience preferences. “We are learning more and more from the audience about what they like and what they don’t,” Discovery CEO Zaslav states. This gives the network the opportunity to focus more specifically on certain demographics of audience, which works in the benefit of advertisers as well as programmers. Even though lifestyle and niche TV is growing to be more popular than many networks, networks like HGTV is still losing subscribers due to changing trends. The networks has lost 4 million subscribers since 2015, compared to ESPN’s loss of 6 million in the same period. (Smith) Non-linear viewing habits and the growing phenomenon of cord-cutting all contribute to this downfall. But niche TV networks are utilizing SVOD devices to their benefits. Investigation Discovery has a subscription on Amazon SVOD which was launched in November, in efforts to attract the viewers it has lost on cable. Over the course of 3 months, this channel has gained Amazon 10,000 new subscriptions, retaining their lost audience. Discovery has also launched new channels on Amazon, including Destination American channel. Overall, niche programming has managed to move ahead of popular news networks and secured a profitable spot in the industry, but is also mindful of he shifting trends towards SVOD and non-linear viewing. I think that this strategy will help niche TV programming become even more prominent in the future.
Desta, Yohana. "HGTV Helped People Cope with the Apocalyptic Gloom of 2016." Vanity Fair 28 Dec. 2017. Web. Lafayette, Jon. “Discovery Puts Numbers on Direct-to-Consumer Business.” Broadcasting & Cable. 15 Feb. 2017. Web. Smith, Gerry. "HGTV Will Never Upset You - How the Network Beat CNN in 2016." Bloomberg 28 Dec. 2016. Web.
The appeal to these lifestyle channels seem to be the fact that they air programing that is relaxing – and that the relaxing nature of the programming contrasts the drama and excitement that surrounds most other channels. One of the more successful lifestyle channels is HGTV, which was the third most watched cable network in 2016, ahead of CNN and behind only Fox News and ESPN (Smith). According to Ken Lowe, HGTV’s chief executive officer, their programming is “not going to surprise you. We’re not going to throw you a curve ball…For the most part, our viewers live in suburban houses with yards. We embrace the real America” (Desta). When asked about why they like HGTV, many people cite this relaxing idea of “not being thrown a curve ball” as a main reason towards why they enjoy the channel. Nikki Justice, a college student interviewed by Bloomberg, stated, “HGTV is something that’s not going to harm me”. Bloomberg also cites Hillary Clinton as a HGTV fan, calling their shows “relaxing, entertaining and informative” (Smith). It appears that relaxing television in itself is a niche, and HGTV was able to fill that niche while also filling the home improvement niche. Another interesting look as to why channels such as HGTV are so popular is because of how binge-able they are. Country Living Magazine describes HGTV as the “Lay’s potato chips of television”, where “you can’t watch just one show…you turn on Property Brothers on Saturday morning while you’re folding laundry and suddenly you’re knee-deep into a beachfront barging hunters marathon” (Storey). The “bingeability”, if you will, of a show seems to be an important aspect to a show’s success in the current media industry. Netflix originals, for instance, are popular not just because they’re good but also because you are able to binge-watch them. I think this concept can be applied to HGTV and lifestyle channels as well – while their shows don’t follow a common storyline, they have a similar binge-worthy quality about them that makes them appealing. This also could explain why HGTV has done so well in retaining viewers in the current SVOD era. There really is no need to go to a service like Netflix to binge HGTV shows because viewers can simply binge shows directly on the channel. In addition, the content of lifestyle shows tend to feature more relatable people. Instead of reality show celebrities or famous actors, when we tune to a lifestyle channel we are seeing a broader swath of North Americans: youth minsters, medical sales reps, black marketing managers, South Asians who don’t work in tech, lesbian farmers, home-schooling moms, people who live in Fargo, ND and so on (Posterl). Even HGTV’s chief programing officer Kathleen Finch suggests, “if you watch a lot of our competitors, it’s about bling-y expensive real estate in New York or crazy flipping in L.A.... For the most part, our viewers live in suburban houses with yards. We embrace the real America” (Desta). This concept of having shows no rely on star power or celebrity could explain why people feel love lifestyle television – it’s an opportunity to watch more “real” people.
Works Cited Desta, Yohana. "HGTV Helped People Cope with the Apocalyptic Gloom of 2016." HWD. Vanity Fair, 28 Dec. 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017. Postrel, Virginia. "The Fascinating Secrets of HGTV's Success." New York Post. N.p., 07 Jan. 2017. Web. 21 Feb. 2017. Smith, Gerry. "HGTV Will Never Upset You: How the Network Beat CNN in 2016." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 28 Dec. 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017. Storey, Kate. "This Is Why You're So Obsessed With 'Fixer Upper'." Country Living. N.p., 08 July 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
Mackenzie Rowe (1/2)
ReplyDeleteI personally believe much of the modern success for these lifestyle and niche cable TV channels is a direct result of the current state of affairs. Historically, I think they have done well in part because there is literally something out there for everyone, particularly with the niche channels – if you have an interest, you can absolutely find a cable channel that will support your habit. Examples off the top of my head that come to mind are Animal Planet (for all our animal lovers out there), ION (which caters in large part to crime drama aficionados), CMT (country lovers unite!), and even HGTV (which let’s be real, I’m pretty sure everyone likes that channel – not just the homeowners). In a world of ever-increasing SVOD options, these lifestyle and niche channels have provided an easy option accessible for viewers directly on their TVs – no internet required, just cable.
Like I said previously, however, the current state of affairs has led more viewers to these channels to forget about everything that’s happening – or at least for the length of one episode. This idea was mentioned, as a reasoning for watching HGTV, by a freshman student at the Ohio State University when she said, “‘A lot of the news these days is really stressful… HGTV is not something that’s going to hurt me. I watch it and dream of what I want for my future house.’” (Smith). This opinion was shared by many in the last year as well. According to Bloomberg, “HGTV was one of the most-watched networks of the year, outpacing media stalwart CNN” (Desta). HGTV is only one example of a lifestyle and niche channel, but it is an example of one who knows how to capitalize on its viewership given the current times, and use that to ensure its future success. One could argue Animal Planet is just as successful, because really, who doesn’t get all warm and fuzzy inside from watching adorable animals roam in the wild? Maybe that’s just me.
Mackenzie Rowe (2/2)
DeleteI also believe it is worth mentioning that these channels are not immune to the pressures placed upon them by the SVOD era. Discovery Communications for instance is trying to aid its transition into a SVOD world sooner rather than later, by placing some of its content directly in the hands of consumes. Per CEO David Zaslav, Discovery has its own SVOD channel on Amazon, “True Crime Files” which is a subsidiary of Investigation Discovery that launched in November (Lafayette). The channel is attracting approximately 10,000 new subscribers per month, with a monthly charge of $4 (Lafayette). So perhaps surviving in an SVOD world isn’t so much an issue of solely retaining your cable viewers, but adding additional services that will still provide a profit for you and allow you to remain competitive – at the same time.
Finally, we might be seeing some of these channels disappear in coming years as SVOD continues to dominate the market and consumers want smaller cable bills, if they even have one at all. Peak TV may actually be what is killing these lifestyle and niche networks. According to Variety, “Channels such as Cloo… were born in a different era, when programmers had the leverage to demand carriage of lesser channels along with their bigger brands. In a skinny-bundle market, there’s no room for channels that don’t pull their weight in ratings” (Littleton). Perhaps the “platinum era of scripted television” we discussed last week in class will ultimately be responsible for the demise of cable television after all.
Desta, Yohana. “HGTV Helped People Cope with the Apocalyptic Gloom of 2016.” Vanity Fair. 28 Dec. 2016. Web.
Lafayette, Jon. “Discovery Puts Numbers on Direct-to-Consumer Business.” Broadcasting & Cable. 15 Feb. 2017. Web.
Littleton, Cynthia. “Niche Cable Channels Fall Victim to Peak TV.” Variety. 7 Feb. 2017. Web.
Smith, Gerry. “HGTV Will Never Upset You: How the Network Beat CNN in 2016.” Bloomberg. 28 Dec. 2016. Web.
Comment 1
ReplyDeleteLifestyle and niche cable TV channels have always had an appeal. Channels like the Food Network, HGTV, Discovery, and TLC are channels that you can flip to when you just want to destress. They are like people's safe havens, they aren’t going to stress you out when it comes to conflict in the media or make you think about politics. They are channels and shows that will make you feel at home with just watching shows about food, or home improvement, or people finding the wedding dress of their dreams. Even if they aren’t necessarily getting married or flipping their houses people tune into these shows. “Nikki Justice doesn’t seem like she’d be a big fan of HGTV….she’s never owned a home, let alone flipped one… ‘A lot of the news these days is really stressful,’ she said. ‘HGTV is not something that’s going to hurt me. I watch it and dream of what I want for my future house.”’ (Smith) I find myself watching marathons of Chopped on the Food Network, Tiny House Hunters on HGTV, and Say Yes to the Dress on TLC when I have had a long day on both streaming and regular cable TV. I can’t cook, I am not a homeowner, and I definitely will not be getting married anytime soon but they are the shows that I chose when I need to destress. I am not going to pick a show like House of Cards on Netflix, The Walking Dead on AMC, or Scandal on Netflix to destress after a long day because even though I love them and enjoy watching them, they will stress me out even more.
Niche and lifestyle TV also doesn’t have one demographic watching it. I’ve been watching TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress since I was in elementary school. It’s also safe to say that I have been watching any Food Network programming since then as well (and I still can’t cook). “[There is] No profanity or on-air fights. That’s why you always feel relatively safe watching…” (Desta) A family can sit in front of one of these shows and not have to worry about the language or sexual/violent sense because there literally are none. These channels are managing to retain viewers in the SVOD era because they are utilizing their platform of being safe havens.
Comment 2
DeleteYou don’t have to see headlines of what Trump is doing you just see: “…a shabby house gets a makeover, and a happy couple moves in.” (Smith) Lifestyle and niche TV have also put their programming on streaming platforms as well so they can capitalize off people who are in a need of binging some safe and mindless TV.
Niche and lifestyle TV also gives some constancy in the ever growing things that a consumer can watch. “VOD platforms allow niche filmmakers to connect with specific target audiences, uninhibited by geographic boundary. As market saturation increases, new entrants and industry leaders will need to determine whether to take the niche-content route to differentiate their services, or focus on attracting a mainstream audience to drive up their subscriber base.” (Paris-Mascicki) You will always know that you will have your home improvement shows and your Food network core “game shows” because they have lived through everything with you. They aren’t going anywhere because there will always be an audience for them.
Paris-Mascicki, Sarah. “The Niche VOD Approach: Can It Survive in The of TV Anywhere?” Ericsson 24 Nov. 2015. Web.
Smith, Gerry. "HGTV Will Never Upset You - How the Network Beat CNN in 2016." Bloomburg 28 Dec. 2016. Web.
Desta, Yohana. "HGTV Helped People Cope with the Apocalyptic Gloom of 2016." Vanity Fair 28 Dec. 2017. Web.
As can be seen from Gerry Smith’s example, people are drawn to lifestyle and niche TV programs as these programs provide them with an escape from the stress of their daily lives. They appeal to our desire to step into a world that just offers better quality of life. What lifestyle TV offers us is entertainment, information and relaxation, which more and more people are looking for especially in the midst of the political upheaval that has accompanied and followed the 2016 presidential elections.
ReplyDeleteContributing to these channels’ success, particularly HGTV’s financial success is its audience of college-educated upper-middle class women. HGTV charges nearly twice of what other networks charge for ads, and advertisers agree that the rates are fair for how affective they are. “Their ad rates are “about twice what other cable networks command, but advertisers are still happily willing to shell out because they see real results.” Writes Yohana Desta.
Lifestyle and niche programs also minimize production costs because they are not scripted and no celebrities are being cast. In this sense, lifestyle and niche TV is similar to reality TV but offers more quality, attracting a different audience that generally has a larger purchasing power, which attracts advertisers.
““The key, Scripps executives agree, is a refusal to upset HGTV’s audience.”” Smith writes, accentuating lifestyle and niche TV’s appeal of comfort and pleasantry.
Another direction that niche TV is taking is customization according to audience preferences. “We are learning more and more from the audience about what they like and what they don’t,” Discovery CEO Zaslav states. This gives the network the opportunity to focus more specifically on certain demographics of audience, which works in the benefit of advertisers as well as programmers.
Even though lifestyle and niche TV is growing to be more popular than many networks, networks like HGTV is still losing subscribers due to changing trends. The networks has lost 4 million subscribers since 2015, compared to ESPN’s loss of 6 million in the same period. (Smith) Non-linear viewing habits and the growing phenomenon of cord-cutting all contribute to this downfall. But niche TV networks are utilizing SVOD devices to their benefits. Investigation Discovery has a subscription on Amazon SVOD which was launched in November, in efforts to attract the viewers it has lost on cable. Over the course of 3 months, this channel has gained Amazon 10,000 new subscriptions, retaining their lost audience. Discovery has also launched new channels on Amazon, including Destination American channel.
Overall, niche programming has managed to move ahead of popular news networks and secured a profitable spot in the industry, but is also mindful of he shifting trends towards SVOD and non-linear viewing. I think that this strategy will help niche TV programming become even more prominent in the future.
Desta, Yohana. "HGTV Helped People Cope with the Apocalyptic Gloom of 2016." Vanity Fair 28 Dec. 2017. Web.
DeleteLafayette, Jon. “Discovery Puts Numbers on Direct-to-Consumer Business.” Broadcasting & Cable. 15 Feb. 2017. Web.
Smith, Gerry. "HGTV Will Never Upset You - How the Network Beat CNN in 2016." Bloomberg 28 Dec. 2016. Web.
The appeal to these lifestyle channels seem to be the fact that they air programing that is relaxing – and that the relaxing nature of the programming contrasts the drama and excitement that surrounds most other channels. One of the more successful lifestyle channels is HGTV, which was the third most watched cable network in 2016, ahead of CNN and behind only Fox News and ESPN (Smith). According to Ken Lowe, HGTV’s chief executive officer, their programming is “not going to surprise you. We’re not going to throw you a curve ball…For the most part, our viewers live in suburban houses with yards. We embrace the real America” (Desta). When asked about why they like HGTV, many people cite this relaxing idea of “not being thrown a curve ball” as a main reason towards why they enjoy the channel. Nikki Justice, a college student interviewed by Bloomberg, stated, “HGTV is something that’s not going to harm me”. Bloomberg also cites Hillary Clinton as a HGTV fan, calling their shows “relaxing, entertaining and informative” (Smith). It appears that relaxing television in itself is a niche, and HGTV was able to fill that niche while also filling the home improvement niche.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting look as to why channels such as HGTV are so popular is because of how binge-able they are. Country Living Magazine describes HGTV as the “Lay’s potato chips of television”, where “you can’t watch just one show…you turn on Property Brothers on Saturday morning while you’re folding laundry and suddenly you’re knee-deep into a beachfront barging hunters marathon” (Storey). The “bingeability”, if you will, of a show seems to be an important aspect to a show’s success in the current media industry. Netflix originals, for instance, are popular not just because they’re good but also because you are able to binge-watch them. I think this concept can be applied to HGTV and lifestyle channels as well – while their shows don’t follow a common storyline, they have a similar binge-worthy quality about them that makes them appealing. This also could explain why HGTV has done so well in retaining viewers in the current SVOD era. There really is no need to go to a service like Netflix to binge HGTV shows because viewers can simply binge shows directly on the channel.
In addition, the content of lifestyle shows tend to feature more relatable people. Instead of reality show celebrities or famous actors, when we tune to a lifestyle channel we are seeing a broader swath of North Americans: youth minsters, medical sales reps, black marketing managers, South Asians who don’t work in tech, lesbian farmers, home-schooling moms, people who live in Fargo, ND and so on (Posterl). Even HGTV’s chief programing officer Kathleen Finch suggests, “if you watch a lot of our competitors, it’s about bling-y expensive real estate in New York or crazy flipping in L.A.... For the most part, our viewers live in suburban houses with yards. We embrace the real America” (Desta). This concept of having shows no rely on star power or celebrity could explain why people feel love lifestyle television – it’s an opportunity to watch more “real” people.
Works Cited
Desta, Yohana. "HGTV Helped People Cope with the Apocalyptic Gloom of 2016." HWD. Vanity Fair, 28 Dec. 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
Postrel, Virginia. "The Fascinating Secrets of HGTV's Success." New York Post. N.p., 07 Jan. 2017. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
Smith, Gerry. "HGTV Will Never Upset You: How the Network Beat CNN in 2016." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 28 Dec. 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
Storey, Kate. "This Is Why You're So Obsessed With 'Fixer Upper'." Country Living. N.p., 08 July 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.