When the last drop B次元官网网址� or gallon B次元官网网址� of blood is shed and an exultant victor has ascended to the Iron Throne, viewers may be split over how HBOB次元官网网址檚 fantasy saga ended but theyB次元官网网址檒l be joined in deprivation.
B次元官网网址淲hat do you do without B次元官网网址楪ame of Thrones?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� will be the lament heard after the May 19 finale, said media analyst Larry Gerbrandt. The question is even more critical to the pay-cable channel, which soared on dragonB次元官网网址檚 wings with its hugely popular, eight-season adaptation of George R.R. MartinB次元官网网址檚 novels.
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Keeping subscribers on board means more than another hit, even one as globally dazzling as B次元官网网址淕ame of ThronesB次元官网网址� proved to be. But itB次元官网网址檚 where HBO can start to protect its brand and position, observers say, an effort both demanded and compounded by an increasingly congested small-screen landscape and the expectations of the channelB次元官网网址檚 corporate owner since 2016, AT&T.
B次元官网网址淚 think they need a prestige show on this level to remain HBO,B次元官网网址� Bill Carter, a media analyst for CNN and former reporter for The New York Times. But B次元官网网址渕ore than ever, itB次元官网网址檚 really hard to find a hit show and to break through in this marketplace.B次元官网网址�
The channel is well into the hunt for a worthy successor, with one possibility an untitled prequel to B次元官网网址淕ame of ThronesB次元官网网址� created by Martin and Jane Goldman and starring Naomi Watts. Set to begin shooting a pilot in June, itB次元官网网址檚 among several potential B次元官网网址淭hronesB次元官网网址� spinoffs being weighed, with discussions at HBO about B次元官网网址渉ow many is too many,B次元官网网址� said programming chief Casey Bloys.
B次元官网网址淲e have high hopesB次元官网网址� for the pilot, he said. B次元官网网址淏ut I want to be clear, nobody is going into this thinking that weB次元官网网址檙e going to do a prequel and all of a sudden everybody who automatically watched B次元官网网址楪ame of ThronesB次元官网网址� is going to watch this. B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檒l have a different feel and different rhythm. WeB次元官网网址檙e not trying to do the same show again.B次元官网网址�
That begs the question of what more HBO has to offer, he said. During a period in which B次元官网网址淕ame of ThronesB次元官网网址� was off the air for scheduling reasons, series including B次元官网网址淲estworld,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址漇harp ObjectsB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淏arryB次元官网网址� proved strong draws, Bloys said.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not going to argue that we wonB次元官网网址檛 miss B次元官网网址楪ame of Thrones.B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 been a fantastic show for us, but life does go on,B次元官网网址� he said. He points to a deep bench of returnees, including Nicole Kidman and Reese WitherspoonB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淏ig Little Lies,B次元官网网址� and newcomers including the graphic novel-based B次元官网网址淲atchmenB次元官网网址� from B次元官网网址淟ostB次元官网网址� producer Damon Lindelof. One marquee series thatB次元官网网址檚 also in its final season: the much-admired comedy B次元官网网址淰eep,B次元官网网址� with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
HBO, which launched in 1972 and whose cachet has long justified the boastful slogan, B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not TV. ItB次元官网网址檚 HBO,B次元官网网址� has reached this crossroads before. At the turn of the century, pop-culture sensations B次元官网网址淭he SopranosB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淪ex and the CityB次元官网网址� boosted the channelB次元官网网址檚 visibility and subscribers and made it a serious player for prestige awards B次元官网网址� including cableB次元官网网址檚 first-ever Emmys for best drama and comedy series. After the shows wrapped, the channel moved nimbly on with audience-pleasers including B次元官网网址淪ix Feet UnderB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭rue Blood.B次元官网网址�
But that was then, and this is the time of streaming B次元官网网址� or, in shorthand, Netflix, along with a growing host of others including Amazon and Hulu B次元官网网址� and a shoulder-bumping rush for stars and showmakers to churn out more and more fare for outlets already awash in programming.
HBO, no longer a singular alternative to staid broadcast networks, also got new corporate ownership when AT&T bought its parent company, Time Warner. HBO recently saw the exit of its chief executive, Richard Plepler, who had been with the channel for nearly 30 years and guided it to B次元官网网址淕ame of ThronesB次元官网网址� glory.
With AT&TB次元官网网址檚 resources, HBO has stepped up production and will see a 50% increase in the number of original program hours this year, Bloys said, arguing that volume doesnB次元官网网址檛 preclude high quality: B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 nothing in 2019 that weB次元官网网址檙e putting on the air because weB次元官网网址檙e trying to hit an hour count. B次元官网网址� We havenB次元官网网址檛 lowered any of our standards to reach a certain level of programmingB次元官网网址� and there is no pressure to do otherwise from WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey, he said.
Subscribers ultimately will decide whether they think the shows are what they want. But expanding the pipeline is unavoidable, said Tuna Amobi, a media and entertainment analyst with investment firm CFRA.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a very different competitive landscape for HBO than it was when they launched B次元官网网址楪ame of Thrones,B次元官网网址� and they realize that. ThatB次元官网网址檚 why you see them ratcheting up their investments in their programming,B次元官网网址� Amobi said. Also key is how HBOB次元官网网址檚 online platform is integrated with planned WarnerMedia streaming offerings to reach the broadest audience possible and make full use of its content, he added.
HBO B次元官网网址渃annot rely on the old ways of doing things and hope that being a premium channel will bail you out,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淕ame of Thrones,B次元官网网址� which debuted in 2011, has flourished despite the confounding number of small-screen choices. From its first-season average weekly tally of 9.3 million cumulative viewers, the series rose to a seventh-season high of 32.8 million across all HBO platforms, including the channel itself and streaming services HBO Go and HBO Now and over a period extending 30 days beyond the seasonB次元官网网址檚 end.
It benefited from the devoted following for MartinB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淎 Song of Ice and FireB次元官网网址� clutch of novels. It was richly and painstakingly produced, filmed in 10 countries including Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Morocco, Iceland and Canada. Its appealing cast became household names, and the female characters that grew in stature and strength as the drama unfolded are routinely namechecked as part of the female-empowerment zeitgeist.
B次元官网网址淕ame of ThronesB次元官网网址� could boast of its Emmy dominance as well, with 47 trophies to date including three best drama series awards. Last year, it denied a second consecutive win to a worthy opponent, HuluB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭he HandmaidB次元官网网址檚 Tale,B次元官网网址� but HBO itself lost valuable Emmy bragging rights: It was surpassed in total nominations for the first time in 17 years and by relative newcomer Netflix, and the streamer tied HBO in wins.
Analyst Gerbrandt, of Media Valuation Partners, isnB次元官网网址檛 counting the channel out. Many viewers still like so-called B次元官网网址渃uratedB次元官网网址� TV delivered to them, as opposed to searching online through dozens or hundreds of offerings, he said. ThereB次元官网网址檚 also the power of perception at work.
B次元官网网址淚f thereB次元官网网址檚 a brand that survives strictly on name, itB次元官网网址檚 probably HBO,B次元官网网址� he said.
Lynn Elber, The Associated Press
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