Television is big business for both traditional cable networks and streaming services alike. In the case of FX, the cable television channel has shows airing on linear television and streaming. The formerly known FX on Hulu (a title they no longer use) is the umbrella hub for their digital counterpart after Disney acquired the network, allowing them to be one of the few places with a hybrid distribution of their shows.
This past week, FX’s John Landgraf spoke at the Television Critics Association via Deadline. And as an outspoken proponent of PeakTV and the age of Streaming, Landgraf weighed in on the recent hot topic of streaming: whether to binge-watch and drop all episodes at once like Netflix or employing the weekly episode model that streamers have adopted like Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
READ MORE: FX Confirms’ Alien’ TV Series Is A Prequel & Won’t Include Any Previous Characters
“It becomes about really understanding the cadence of consumption by consumers. When they want to watch things, how they want to watch things,” the head of FX told reporters of the tricky decision that seems to have paid off for both those who dump all their episodes at once and those who release them week to week, building buzz and momentum in the process.
Landgraf also admitted that this could be confusing for viewers, “If you’re asking me, am I worried about confusion? The answer is a resounding yes. I’m just trying to sort the best thing to do in each case for each individual show as much as I can. But there’s no way to avoid the fact that it’s a little just bewildering, frankly, the different releases and the sheer number of releases are hard to keep track of for you, for me, for everyone.”
Landgraf is talking about the Age of Too Much Content. 559 original scripted series were released in 2021, highlighting the profound paradox of TV for distributors and content creators: a massive appetite for TV still exists, and audiences are hungry for more and more. And yet, as companies ramp up their content strategies and offerings in the age of Peak Streaming Content, it’s impossible for everyone to see everything, and certain shows will be totally overlooked.
This dilemma is not going away any time soon. Some have noted that HBO Max has really been growing on social media, thanks to the weekly word-of-mouth build of shows like “Euphoria,” “Succession,” and “Peacemaker.” And yet data shows that Netflix dumps still have a proportional impact on audiences, and furthermore, that streamer continues to dominate the Emmys in a way few others do. However, HBO is also a perennial winner and at the forefront of those awards too. Either way, don’t expect this topic to subside anytime soon. There’s no question there’s too much content out there right now. The true question is what to do about it and, as Landgraf suggests, how to properly present it.
