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Bravo: Deeper into
the creative process
From a network of the arts to one about the arts
By Kevin Downey
Media buyers at Bravo’s
upfront presentation today can expect a few clues dropped about the
cable network’s future direction.
Best known for reality shows like
“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and fashion competition “Project
Runway,” Bravo, under the leadership of former VH1 programmer
Lauren Zalaznick since last summer, is continuing to broaden beyond
its arts roots toward a more general-interest network that focuses
on pop culture.
Additional unscripted series are coming
up, including new iterations of “Showbiz Moms & Dads” and
the upcoming “Situation Comedy,” with “Will & Grace’s”
Sean Hayes.
But Bravo will likely say today
that it will soon dip its toe into scripted programs, probably with
limited-run series. The network stumbled last year with a
semi-scripted sitcom called “Significant Others.”
“You can’t put your head in the
sand,” says Zalaznick. “Scripted [series] may come
roaring back and three-camera comedy may come roaring back. As an
arts programmer you have to be ready to embrace that. So as not to
confuse the brand it won’t show up willy-nilly. But we talk about
it and think about it internally all the time.”
While hardly a dramatic reworking
of what the NBC Universal-owned network has become since “Queer
Eye” made Bravo a mid-tier network two years ago, Zalaznick says
the network’s programs will increasingly revolve around the
entertainment business.
“What we strive to do is
develop and produce very aspirational, character-driven nonfiction
that covers the arts and creative processes of pop culture,” she
says.
“‘Runway’ takes the art of
the process and puts it in a viewer-accessible format. Then you roll
right into [movie making show] ‘Project Greenlight’ and then
into our upcoming ‘Situation Comedy,’ which is very much about
treating television as a creative art."
The network's identity
Bravo, like many other evolving cable
networks, has recently had a blurry image. With “Queer Eye” and
some of its other reality shows, it has along with many other
networks largely served as a venue for unscripted shows. The
exception is reruns of sister network NBC’s “West Wing.”
It’s hoped the re-emphasis on
pop culture and the entertainment business clarifies its position
across the spectrum of cable networks.
The network is trying to do that
by bringing back shows like “Queer Eye,” although the rookie
series “Queer Eye for the Straight Girl,” which will burn off
its last two episodes around Mother’s Day, is unlikely to come
back. And a British version of “Queer Eye” will probably only
pop up on occasion.
“Project Greenlight” will
return and so will “Project Runway,” which TV Guide in its
review of the show’s first version gave a 10 on a scale of 1 to
10. The “Showbiz” franchise will expand, including the June
premiere of “Sports Kids Moms & Dads,” while “Celebrity
Poker Showdown” and perennial “Inside the Actors Studio” will
continue.
The network's target audience
The Bravo brand has
been changing for the past few years and, again like several other
networks, it has been actively working to lower the median age of
its audience. For the moment its focus is adults 25-54.
Its audience has been getting
younger, perhaps not surprisingly since programs like “Runway”
are populated with twentysomethings.
While the median age of Bravo’s
viewers was over 50 as recently as last year, it was down to 44 in
first quarter and Zalaznick says so far in second quarter it has
fallen to under 42 years.
Zalaznick says Bravo is
also trying to retain a distinction that gets the attention of
advertisers. She says Bravo has the most affluent viewers, not
counting the much smaller Golf Channel.
But continuing to attract upscale
people while reaching younger viewers will likely become difficult,
says Jordan Breslow, director of broadcast research at MediaCom.
“They are trying to be all
things to all people,” he says. “They want to be old and they
want to be young. I don’t think you appeal to both unless you
create distinct programming blocks for those groups."
The network's ratings
After catapulting from bit player to a buzzed-about
cable network when “Queer Eye” became an instant hit, it’s
understandable that Bravo is no longer posting double- and
triple-digit-percentage growth.
But that’s not to say it’s
not doing well.
Overall viewing in first quarter
was essentially flat to a year earlier in primetime and on an
all-day basis, as was the audience in its core 25-54 demographic and
adults 18-49. Where Bravo is growing is in the 18-34 demographic,
with year-to-year increases of 16 percent in primetime and 28
percent on a total-day basis.
The network's competitive set
Bravo’s arts roots and its
reality-heavy lineup put it in direct competition with A&E. But
that is changing as A&E increasingly becomes a crime-centric
network with original movies and eventually original scripted
series.
Now Bravo is competing with
networks like VH1 and TLC that also load up lineups with unscripted
shows.
What’s new for 2005/06
There are a few programming
trends media buyers hear a lot about. One of them is franchise
shows.
Bravo has a couple with “Queer
Eye,” which Zalaznick says going forward won’t flood its lineup
as it did last year, and now with “Showbiz Moms & Dads.”
NBC kicked off the trend with its
enormously lucrative “Law & Order” while CBS followed with
its “CSI” franchise. Cable networks like Bravo are now creating
franchises, with the idea that viewers know the concept so they’ll
watch new versions if they like the original. And advertisers know
what they’re getting.
But Bravo has other
programs in the works including “Situation Comedy,” which will
premiere this year, and the return of hair salon-based “Blow
Out."
The network's upfront outlook
Bravo, much like sister network NBC, will tout its
affluent audience to media buyers at its upfront presentation.
But unlike NBC, Bravo also
has a ratings story. It will underscore the success it has had
attracting young adults with programs like “Project Runway” and,
focusing on scripted shows in the early stages of development, its
readiness to move onto the next thing if the reality craze goes
bust.
The final prognosis
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being excellent:
3.5.
Bravo, under the ownership of NBC
since 2002, unhinged itself from the limiting arts format and took
off as few other networks have when “Queer Eye” hit and its five
hosts landed on magazine covers and programs like “Access
Hollywood” and “Tonight Show,” both not coincidentally also
owned by NBC Universal.
That’s a hard act to follow.
But while Bravo hasn’t quite
been able to repeat “Queer Eye’s” initial buzz, it has had
success launching a handful of hits that are distinctly its own.
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A LOOK AT BRAVO
Launched
in 1980 |
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Parent company |
NBC Universal |
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No. of subscribers |
78 million homes |
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Median viewer age |
44.1 years old |
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Average primetime viewers* |
501,000 people |
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Average total-day viewers* |
254,000 people |
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Avg. primetime 25-54 viewers* |
292,000 people |
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Avg. total-day 25-54 viewers* |
143,000 people |
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Target audience |
Adults 25-54 |
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Main competitors |
Networks such as A&E and TLC |
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Upfront presentation (in New York City) |
Tuesday, April 26 |
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* Nielsen Media Research, first quarter 2005
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Click for past
upfront previews:
The
Weather Channel
National
Geographic
HGTV
Food
Network
Headline News
Discovery
Channel
MTV
TLC
E!
ESPN
TBS
TNT
FX
Hallmark
Channel
A&E
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April 26, 2005
©
2005
Media Life
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Kevin Downey is a staff writer for
Media Life.
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