The Game Show Forum > Game Show Channels & Networks
Court TV goes the GSN Route
Matt Ottinger:
From Marc Berman's Programming Insider:
--- Quote ---Court TV....has a new name in primetime, The Investigation Channel, and an ambitious slate of new and returning programs. With a financial commitment of $200 million for original programming and marketing over the next two years, the network will introduce at least four new series....three made-for movies, more specials and other returning series.
--- End quote ---
Sound familiar? My point for posting this is to remind the GSN naysayers that EVERY cable channel needs to grow and evolve to stay competitive in the marketplace. I'm sure there are Court TV faithful who expected it to be all court coverage all the time and are aghast at this move toward more forensic-style programming. But you can add this to the ever-growing list of networks that wouldn't BE growing if they didn't make changes like this now and then. And GSN's changes are smaller than most!
Jimmy Owen:
I like change and growth, but I wonder if the concept of "niche" programming is flawed. It seems like a new channel has to convince a cable carrier that it is something other than a general interest channel to get launched, then finds it must change the focus in order to survive. As far as Court TV, if the trial was at all interesting (O.J., etc), CNN or even local stations would cover it as well. Why watch Court TV when you could watch the same show on Channel 4? Not many niche players ever stay true to the original intent, yet the universe continues to unfold, as it should.
CaseyAbell:
Court TV moved away from straight trial coverage at night quite a while ago, in favor of true crime documentaries and NYPD Blue and Cops and just about anything else. The result was better numbers, though things have stagnated a bit lately. But the MediaLifeMagazine article I referenced on another thread said the network picked up record numbers on March 18.
GSN starts from an even "niche-ier" position than Court TV did, though. After all, crime and legal dramas have always featured prominently in prime time, much more than game shows over the past few decades. So it might be a harder slog toward mainstream programming for GSN.
Mario500:
Hopefully Court TV doesn't pull a complete "The New GSN", thus becoming "CTV" or even "TIC".
Steve Gavazzi:
[quote name=\'Mario500\' date=\'Mar 29 2004, 04:09 PM\'] Hopefully Court TV doesn't pull a complete "The New GSN", thus becoming "CTV" or even "TIC". [/quote]
What possible difference could that make?
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version