NBC is considering giving back the 10 p.m. hour of prime time to local affiliates, a potentially significant tipping point for the legacy broadcast TV model.
Internal discussions have been going on for a number of years, according to a person familiar with the situation, and no firm decision has been reached. The soonest a move could be made would be a year from now, given the complex web of agreements in place with affiliates and advertisers.
““We are always looking at strategies to ensure that our broadcast business remains as strong as possible,” an NBC spokesperson said in a statement provided to Deadline. “As a company, our advantage lies in our ability to provide audiences with the content they love across broadcast, cable and streaming.”
Reducing the commitment to broadcast primetime hours would ease pressure on NBCUniversal in terms of funding a linear lineup at a time when viewership and pay-TV subscription levels continue to decline. Companies like NBCU are increasingly looking at their full portfolios, across streaming, linear and other platforms, and managing toward what they see as the most profitable outcomes.
While the local TV business faces a range of challenges similar to those faced by broadcast and cable network owners, stations have seen a windfall in political advertising. News programming, which has elbowed out syndicated fare on many stations in recent years, is cheaper to produce and has proven a reliable ratings draw in many markets, especially as newspapers and radio stations have declined.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the deliberations.