If folks remember the saga of the CW network, the creation of the new net left the stations owned by Fox (such as KCOP-13 in LA) hanging. Not any more.
Today, News Corp announced the creation of a new netlet called “My Network TV”. The programming, which will start in early September according to the press release, will consist of “12 hours of original content per week.” Let’s look at the Fox definition of “original content”, if you will.
What will be on this network. According to News Corp:
Twentieth Television’s new hour-long scripted dramas “Desire” and “Secrets” will inaugurate My Network TV. Structured in a 65-episode story arc stripped Monday through Friday for 13 weeks, “Desire” and “Secrets” are based on the worldwide success of the telenovela format. “Desire” chronicles the destruction of a family and the bonds of brotherhood take center stage when two brothers on the run from the mafia find themselves in a heated battle of passion, betrayal, deceit and murder over the woman they both love. “Secrets” goes deep behind-the-scenes to focus on the glamorous, yet sometimes brutally ruthless fashion industry, in which greed, lust and blind ambition surround a violent corporate takeover of the business’ hottest company.
Is this a new style of program? Nope. It is based on the Spanish telenovela format, adapted for English speaking viewers. The new network will air new episodes of the shows each weeknight in a “strip” format (this accounts for 10 of 12 programming hours each week).
So if the programming isn’t new, I’m sure the content is. Please tell me the content is. Nope. According to Dennis Swanson, president of station operations for Fox, the programs are relatively inexpensive to produce, as they use scripts already written for Spanish-language TV.
Hmmm. Not a new idea. Not new scripts. Somehow this doesn’t strike me as “original content”. But this is television, and what appears to be isn’t always.
What about the other two hours. Let’s see: We have Fox behind this… you guessed it… reality! Programs under consideration include “Celebrity Love Island,” in which six hot C-listers and “six non-celebrity singletons” are thrown together in a fantasy island setting where a “search for love takes place”; “On Scene,” described as “coverage of the crimes you need to see to believe”; “America’s Brainiest” , a quiz show, based on the hit British program, that will find the country’s smartest individuals and reveal them in an exciting format; and “Catwalk,” a competition in which uber-supermodels would help wannabes become supermodels. Of course, this is all “original content”. Cough. Cough.
Media buyers are skeptical. According to Brad Adgate, research director for Horizon Media, “There are a lot of opportunities here for Fox to try something new. But right now, it kind of seems like they are throwing some stuff against the wall to see what sticks.” Or, to quote the News Corp press release: “Providing broadcasters a viable and station-friendly option for primetime, involving no reverse compensation, My Network TV will position stations with operational flexibility through an appealing affiliation term and attractive inventory split, further building asset value. ” I think that News Corp already knows what sticks (they honed it with Fox News). Here’s a hint: It smells, and you try to wipe it off your shoes if you accidently step in it.
