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E!: Moving beyond
its celebrity niche
Broader entertainment focus to reverse ratings dip
By Kevin Downey
It has been a bumpy year for E!
Entertainment Television.
The network, easily identifiable for its celebrity
focus, is in the midst of a yearlong effort to move beyond a tight
niche into a more entertainment-based, pop culture network.
But it's a struggle. Former
ABC Entertainment chairman and NBC Studios head Ted Harbert took
over as president and CEO of E! Networks last July and has since
watched E! Entertainment Television lose viewers on a year-to-year
basis to the tune of 12 percent in its key 18-49 demographic.
In primetime, the decline has been even more
pronounced.
New programs like Wayne Newton’s “American Idol”
knockoff “The Entertainer,” which had its finale last night,
have pulled disappointing ratings. The audience for reenactments of
the Michael Jackson child molestation trial has been slow to build.
And the once-promising buzz for reality show “Gastineau Girls”
has quieted to a disinterested murmur.
But while the network’s current slump is troubling,
particularly as it heads into the upfront ad-selling season, a
revamp is underway that media people say looks promising,
specifically as it moves away from newsy programs that have viewers
dipping in and out and toward franchise programs built around a
handful of hits.
The network already has plans for a test run of “True
Hollywood Story” spinoffs, including “True Hollywood Story
Investigates” and possibly “True American Story,” a feel-good
look at regular people. And E! is also expected to spin off “Dr.
90210” this summer. The reality show about plastic surgeons, which
kicked off its second season last month, is among E!’s
highest-rated shows with an
audience 55 percent bigger than the show in its timeslot used to pull.
E! is also testing out a slew of other programs,
including the poker show “Hollywood Hold ‘Em.”
Lisa Berger, the network’s senior vice president of
programming development, says these types of shows are part of E!’s
expanding focus.
“In the past we were sort of the celebrity-focused
network, which frankly became a narrow topic and, more importantly,
was over-saturated,” she says. “So about a year ago we looked at ways to reposition
ourselves. In terms of development, celebrities will always be at
our core, but we have expanded our programs to be about everything
entertainment.”
The network's identity
Unlike
a lot of networks that began with a tight focus but have morphed
into indistinguishable general-interest networks, E! has mostly
maintained the Hollywood bent it launched with, notwithstanding its
decision to give former model Anna Nicole Smith her own short-lived
show.
Perhaps that’s admirable. But there’s a
reason so many networks have moved outside their original niches: it’s
tough to build an audience by maintaining a narrow focus.
Under Harbert's direction, E! is broadening its lineup while keeping programs within the realm of celebrity.
The network's
target audience
E!
targets adults 18-49. But while its viewers have a median age of 38
years, relatively young among cable networks, it is trying to lure
younger viewers. It is doing that in part by focusing on celebrities
like rapper Eminem in programs such as “True Hollywood Story.”
The network's ratings
E! is in transition. At least the network hopes
its ratings slide is a temporary blip as it expands hit shows into
franchises. The network’s audience on an all-day basis in the
adult 18-49 demographic dipped 12 percent in first quarter, compared
with the same time last year. In primetime its audience tumbled 20
percent.
But more recently, the network picked up a bit when
programs like “Fashion Police” focused on the Academy Awards.
The network's competitive set
The network competes with syndicated
entertainment newsmagazines like “Extra” and “The Insider”
but also cable networks that touch on celebrity, including VH1 and
reality-heavy networks like Bravo.
What’s new for 2005/06
E! launches new programs throughout the
year but largely in first quarter, when the network sometimes gets
a ratings lift from its red-carpet coverage of awards shows. And it
also tends to roll out a slew of shows in the summer, when younger
viewers are home from school.
“Summer is a great time for us because we get a
lot of younger viewers coming to us, so we usually focus a lot of
our attention on launching new shows, new stunts, and new editions,”
says Salaam Coleman Smith, senior vice president of programming at
E! Networks. “We are in the process right now of gearing up for
summer with shows in development and specials.”
This summer, E! will give a test run to “True
Hollywood Story Investigates” and will launch the third season of
“The Soup,” an offshoot of what had been a talk show roundup
called “Talk Soup.”
The network also expects to continue running its late-night talk show “Howard Stern” after the radio host moves from
broadcast to satellite radio next January.
The network's upfront outlook
E! has
been highlighting the programming shift it now hopes will translate
into better ratings.
Media buyers have already been hearing that the network
is going to focus more on franchise shows that will build loyal
followings. At the same time, programs with dismal ratings like “The
Entertainer” are being allowed to quietly fade into future Trivial
Pursuit questions.
“They brought in Ted Harbert, who has done some
wonderful things in his career,” says Tom Weeks, entertainment
director at Starcom Worldwide. “They’ve been talking about
building franchises and moving away from the clip shows that don’t
hold viewers. I think it’s going to be a slow build, but I think
they can do it.”
The final prognosis
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being
excellent: 3.
Can Ted Harbert spearhead a turnaround for a network
with slumping ratings? Although E! certainly hasn’t rebounded yet,
media people say he is making smart changes that are likely to pay
off. Most point out that franchise shows like NBC’s “Law &
Order” and CBS’s “CSI” have been extraordinarily successful.
Moreover, with E! continually testing new shows,
it can burn through bombs and, it’s hoped, eventually stumble into
a hit.
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A LOOK
AT E! ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION
Launched in 1990 |
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Parent company |
Comcast/Disney |
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No. of subscribers |
86.2 million homes |
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Median viewer age |
38 years old |
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Average primetime
viewers* |
386,000 people |
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Average total-day
viewers* |
279,000 people |
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Avg. primetime 18-49
viewers* |
220,000 people |
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Avg. total-day 18-49
viewers* |
173,000 people |
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Target audience |
Adults 18-49 |
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Main competitors |
Cable networks such VH1,
Bravo, and syndicated entertainment newsmagazines |
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Upfront presentation (in
New York) |
Feb. 15 |
| *
Nielsen Media Research, first quarter 2005 |
Click here for past upfront previews:
The
Weather Channel
National
Geographic
HGTV
Food
Network
Headline
News
Discovery
Channel
MTV
TLC
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April 4 ,2005
©
2005
Media Life
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Kevin Downey is a staff writer for
Media Life.
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