Series Resuscitation: Comcast & DirecTV To the Rescue (Jericho & FNL)
If you are a fan of Friday Night Lights or Jericho, you might want to consider switching/subscribing to DirecTV or Comcast.
In a recently announced deal between DirecTV and NBC, the third season of critically acclaimed series Friday Night Lights will air first on the satellite service, and months later on NBC.
Now there is a rumor floating around that Comcast may do the same with CBS, reviving the recently canceled fan-favorite show Jericho.
In my opinion, it isn’t a coincidence that both FNL and Jericho are being resuscitated so soon after the resolution of the Writers Strike. International attention to the digital media distribution of television and film was long overdue, and major networks/studios are only now beginning to research and acknowledge the number of online viewers. NBC and CBS are the first to boldly explore new distribution territory, figuring out ways to save and offset the production costs of beloved shows by licensing them to other mediums such as DirecTV and Comcast. If successful, the life of a series may no longer be determined by conventional ratings alone, giving hope to the cult classics and outrageously underrated shows with smaller yet feverishly dedicated audiences.
I
find these to be fascinating, positive developments in the
entertainment industry, and applaud the efforts of both the very
passionate fan campaigns and network executives/show runners who are finding creative methods
to somehow save their shows.
Many people will focus on the small percentage of people who subscribe to either DirecTV and Comcast, and what that means for Jericho and FNL. Call me an optimist, but I am choosing to wait and see how the future of both shows is determined through distribution by cable and satellite services vs. traditional networks. These deals represent a significant change to an archaic system, with the potential to alter the future of television as we know it.