Thanks to streaming networks like Hulu, Amazon and Netflix, broadcast television isn’t the only place to catch original programming anymore.
An eMarketer report indicates that the number of original scripted TV shows has managed to double over the past seven years. FX Networks managed to conduct a look at the progression of said programming over the years, showing that basic cable has seen a significant jump, from 66 shows in 2009 to 181 in 2015. That’s huge compared to broadcast, which merely jumped from 122 to 147 in that same time frame.
Of course, streaming services have shown the biggest jump, from just two in 2009 all the way to 44 for this past year. Pay cable also saw an increase, from 21 to 37. Overall, that brings the count from 211 to 409.Â
Original programming has become quite a hook for advertisers over the years, particularly Netflix, which promotes its hit shows such as Daredevil and House of Cards on other channels.
But not everyone is hooked on original content. A November 2015 report from RBC Capital Markets indicates that more than half of U.S. Internet users didn’t really let original content influence their decision to subscribe to a specialty channel. That said, more than 25 percent of overall respondents did say that having access to original content is a driving factor when it comes to interest in those channels.
That’s not to say original content is a waste, since eMarketer uses different RBC Capital Markets statistics that show how original content has caught on with viewers, although it’s not the primary reason they subscribe. The report shows that the share of Netflix users that didn’t watch any original content dropped by one-third. However, numbers compiled by RBC also show that 24 percent of users of the service don’t watch original content.
Regardless of whether it’s watched or not, subscribers still like having the option, with 73 percent indicating that they’re “not at all likely” going to cancel their service over the next three months.
2016 should continue to be a strong year for the channel’s original programming, with new seasons of House of Cards and Daredevil bowing over the next few months, along with its first original movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2.
