Welcome to the blog of Dr. Lisa Burns' Media Studies senior capstone class (3:30 pm section) at Quinnipiac University. If you're looking for the latest on media industry trends and insightful media analysis, you've come to the right place!
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Lifestyle & Niche Media Blog 4, Question 1 (March 2nd )
What is the appeal of lifestyle and niche cable
TV networks and/or programming? How are these networks/programs managing to remain
viable in the SVOD era? Limit: 6 responses
The appeal of lifestyle and niche cable TV networks has increased during the pandemic because of the changes in people’s routines and evolving entertainment needs. In addition to the desire for more entertainment due to lack of activities, people also increasingly want to stay occupied and busy at home with new projects, and lifestyle TV programs have risen to meet that need. The article “Stay-at-Home Rules Are Boosting HGTV, Food Network Viewership” highlights the link between viewership of lifestyle channels (HGTV and the Food Network) and the pandemic: The Food Network ratings grew 25% more in April 2020 compared with April 2019, and HGTV’s grew 22% in the same range (Associated Press, 2020). Four channels (TLC, Food Network, HGTV, and Discovery) were in the top ten most-watched primetime channels in May 2020. The Food Network increases are due to the fact that people are interested in learning more recipes and learning more cooking skills because they are preparing more meals at home while HGTV programs address the increasing interest in home renovation/re-decoration and learning new skills to occupy time. Producers are also creating new shows which reflect the reality of the pandemic, such as Guy Fieri’s dive takeout program and Amy Schumer’s “Amy Learns to Cook” program starring the comedian cooking in her home kitchen (Associated Press, 2020). Lifestyle and nonfiction TV programming is also adapting to become competitive in the SVOD era through the development of new streaming services, notably Discovery+. According to "Discovery+ to Join Streaming Wars with January Launch," this new subscription service will provide access to content from Discovery’s channels HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Animal Planet and OWN as well as content from A&E Networks channels A+E, History and Lifetime (Jarvey, 2020). The creation of a streaming service dedicated to nonfiction content fills a void in the current range of streaming services, which overwhelmingly focus on movies and scripted shows. Discovery + is planning a wide international rollout, with access in 25 countries in the first year alone. The creation of their own streaming service allows Discovery to compete effectively for viewership, with other services like Netflix and Disney+. Lifestyle and non-scripted shows also have the advantage of being able to provide camera equipment and training to celebrities, chefs, and famous lifestyle influencers so they can create pandemic-friendly original content in their own homes. In “How Food Network and HGTV Lean on Talent as Service TV Viewership Surges,” Discovery’s head of lifestyle brands Kathleen Finch states that this has revolutionized their ability to meet the challenges of the pandemic while attracting increasing numbers of viewers (O’Connell, 2020). An example is the Food Network's quarantined-themed weekend consisting of self-filmed segments that became the channel’s highest-rated Saturday-Sunday combination in over eight years with a total of 16.5 million viewers (O’Connell, 2020). During this weekend, the show Girl Meets Farm also delivered its highest-rated episode to date. Finch argues that viewers can really relate to these shows because they reflect common experiences during the pandemic. People are also looking for more than just entertainment, they want to learn new things and improve their lives and many of the new and existing shows Discovery airs help them do that. I believe that overall, the changes that lifestyle and niche cable programming has undergone, especially the Discovery Network with Discovery+, will only benefit them and lead to increased audiences in the future.
Associated Press. "Stay-at-Home Rules Are Boosting HGTV, Food Network Viewership." MarketWatch. 5 May 2020. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/stay-at-home-rules-are-boosting-hgtv-food-network-viewership-2020-05-05. Accessed Feb. 25, 2021.
Jarvey, Natalie. "Discovery+ to Join Streaming Wars with January Launch." The Hollywood Reporter. 2 Dec. 2020. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/discovery-to-join-streaming-wars-with-january-launch. Accessed Feb. 25, 2021.
O’Connell, Mikey. “How Food Network and HGTV Lean on Talent as Service TV Viewership Surges.” The Hollywood Reporter. 9 April 2020. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/food-network-coronavirus-filmed-content-surging-audiences-1289451. Accessed Feb. 25, 2021.
The allure of niche and lifestyle programming was eloquently described by travel show host Samantha Brown in an article by Reality Blurred. In a statement made on Instagram she said that “Travel shows are in what is known as the “Lifestyle” category with other subcategories being Home and Food. My fellow TV hosts and I have a wonderful relationship with our viewers, you turn on the TV and there we are—quite literally—in your homes. We can whisk you off to Europe, help remodel your bathroom and teach you the best way to roast a chicken.” This type of programming is helpful and relatable or it can be informative or even a form of escapism. It’s a rich category of media. It is one that has seen a boost from the stay-at-home orders and behaviors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Market Watch, the Food Network’s overall ratings in April were up 25% over the same month last year, and HGTV was also up 22%. The networks both adjusted with pandemic-related programming. In the same piece, Kathleen Finch of Discovery said that people are gravitating to lifestyle programming because they provide more than entertainment. People are forced to cook more for themselves at home and have more time to learn recipes. They also now have time to work on home improvement and DIY renovations because they are at home more. Of course, they also provide entertainment still. In class, we’ve talked about TLC’s 90-Day Fiance and the huge ratings boost it has given the network this year. They are coming out with another niche dating show as well. Lifestyle and niche media have their place in SVOD and the streaming wars with Discovery+ which launched this year. According to Hollywood Reporter, “Discovery+ will combine programming from across the conglomerate's brands, including HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Animal Planet, and OWN. It will also include programming from A&E Networks channels A+E, History and Lifetime.” The subscription will start at $5 per month with ads and without ads will cost $7 a month. Legacy television has seen how important streaming services are and this is what they’re offering their audiences to stay viable in the SVOD era. Personally in my home, we watch HGTV and The Food Network for “background noise” and something comforting and fun to watch as a family. This is a popular idea. In an article from The Verge, Julia Alexander wrote that Discovery Plus is the perfect ambient TV for working from home. The article includes a quote from Discovery CEO David Zaslav, “Our bet is when the world makes a full rotation, that the content people have chosen when they could choose anything on TV or cable, the content that they love and run home for — 90 Day, Fixer Upper, Property Brothers — they’re still going to love that,” I would agree. People want their old favorite channels but they want them in the form of subscription-based direct-to-consumer services.
Works Cited
Dehnart, Andy. “Samantha Brown Calls out the 'Void of Diversity' in Travel, Food, and Home Reality TV Hosts.” Reality Blurred, 5 June 2020, www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2020/06/samantha-brown-diversity-travel-home-food-reality-tv/.
Jarvey, Natalie. “Discovery+ to Join Streaming Wars With January Launch.” The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/discovery-to-join-streaming-wars-with-january-launch.
Press, Associated. “Stay-at-Home Rules Are Boosting HGTV, Food Network Viewership.” MarketWatch, MarketWatch, 5 May 2020, www.marketwatch.com/story/stay-at-home-rules-are-boosting-hgtv-food-network-viewership-2020-05-05.
Summer Perratti (Part 1) Despite the popular rise in SVOD services, lifestyle and niche cable TV networks have been able to secure a devoted audience that keeps their appeal relevant. While lifestyle and niche TV like TLC, The Food Network and QVC have traditionally relied on stay-at-home individuals for their viewership, the COVID-19 pandemic has paved the way for a new wave of lifestyle viewers. According to an article titled “Stay-at-home rules are boosting HGTV, Food Network viewership” by the Associated Press, “The Food Network’s overall ratings in April were up 25% over the same month last year, while HGTV was up 22%.” This is extremely impressive for cable TV programming, particularly in the SVOD era where streaming services have virtually dominated both media coverage and television screens. In the article, chief lifestyle brand officer for Discovery-owned networks Kathleen Finch suggests that people are “gravitating” toward lifestyle and niche tv networks “because [they] provide more than entertainment right now.” This is generally true, as many lifestyle programs offer some sort of service to viewers, whether it be purchasable products, organizational skills or cooking recipes. Therefore, it makes sense that Americans quarantining in their homes are likely to tune into some sort of lifestyle programming, particularly with rising trends of pandemic-induced home projects and renovations. In addition to the informative appeal of lifestyle and niche media, viewers are attracted to these respective types of programming for its unscripted and nonfictional nature. While the vast majority of media on SVOD services like Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+ are fictional, scripted content, lifestyle cable TV reminds viewers of the existence of real people and real life. In other words, lifestyle TV can serve as a breath of fresh air for many viewers who are tired of fabricated media movies and shows.
Perratti (Part 2) Although the increasing rates of viewership have been promising for the future of lifestyle media on cable TV, it would be ignorant to dismiss the threat of SVOD services as competition. In attempt to remain viable, lifestyle and niche media has finally entered the realm of streaming, particularly with the launching of Discovery+ in January of 2021. In an article by The Hollywood Reporter, author Inkoo Kang argues that the niche and lifestyle catalogue offered by Discovery+ poses a threat to competing services: “...the service will offer more than 2,500 series (totaling 55,000 episodes) in addition to original programming, rivaling Disney+’s catalogue in both its vastness and predictable (or comforting) mediocrity” (Kang). By launching a streaming service almost entirely dedicated to lifestyle and niche media, Discovery+ offers something new and exciting for many frequent streamers. This is likely the smartest move for creators of related media, seeing as 60% of Americans have “ditched cable TV,” according to a Waterstone Management Group survey featured in a Boy Genius Report article (Meek). To no fault of its own, lifestyle programs are not immune to the failing trends of cable TV, meaning that some sort of transformation must take place in order for the media to stay viable. Since this type of media already has a hold on so many American viewers, creators will likely see a future of extraordinary success if they moved their content primarily onto streaming services.
Gabriela Alvares
ReplyDeleteBlog 4 Lifestyle & Niche Media
The appeal of lifestyle and niche cable TV networks has increased during the pandemic because of the changes in people’s routines and evolving entertainment needs. In addition to the desire for more entertainment due to lack of activities, people also increasingly want to stay occupied and busy at home with new projects, and lifestyle TV programs have risen to meet that need. The article “Stay-at-Home Rules Are Boosting HGTV, Food Network Viewership” highlights the link between viewership of lifestyle channels (HGTV and the Food Network) and the pandemic: The Food Network ratings grew 25% more in April 2020 compared with April 2019, and HGTV’s grew 22% in the same range (Associated Press, 2020). Four channels (TLC, Food Network, HGTV, and Discovery) were in the top ten most-watched primetime channels in May 2020. The Food Network increases are due to the fact that people are interested in learning more recipes and learning more cooking skills because they are preparing more meals at home while HGTV programs address the increasing interest in home renovation/re-decoration and learning new skills to occupy time. Producers are also creating new shows which reflect the reality of the pandemic, such as Guy Fieri’s dive takeout program and Amy Schumer’s “Amy Learns to Cook” program starring the comedian cooking in her home kitchen (Associated Press, 2020).
Lifestyle and nonfiction TV programming is also adapting to become competitive in the SVOD era through the development of new streaming services, notably Discovery+. According to "Discovery+ to Join Streaming Wars with January Launch," this new subscription service will provide access to content from Discovery’s channels HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Animal Planet and OWN as well as content from A&E Networks channels A+E, History and Lifetime (Jarvey, 2020). The creation of a streaming service dedicated to nonfiction content fills a void in the current range of streaming services, which overwhelmingly focus on movies and scripted shows. Discovery + is planning a wide international rollout, with access in 25 countries in the first year alone. The creation of their own streaming service allows Discovery to compete effectively for viewership, with other services like Netflix and Disney+.
Lifestyle and non-scripted shows also have the advantage of being able to provide camera equipment and training to celebrities, chefs, and famous lifestyle influencers so they can create pandemic-friendly original content in their own homes. In “How Food Network and HGTV Lean on Talent as Service TV Viewership Surges,” Discovery’s head of lifestyle brands Kathleen Finch states that this has revolutionized their ability to meet the challenges of the pandemic while attracting increasing numbers of viewers (O’Connell, 2020). An example is the Food Network's quarantined-themed weekend consisting of self-filmed segments that became the channel’s highest-rated Saturday-Sunday combination in over eight years with a total of 16.5 million viewers (O’Connell, 2020). During this weekend, the show Girl Meets Farm also delivered its highest-rated episode to date. Finch argues that viewers can really relate to these shows because they reflect common experiences during the pandemic. People are also looking for more than just entertainment, they want to learn new things and improve their lives and many of the new and existing shows Discovery airs help them do that. I believe that overall, the changes that lifestyle and niche cable programming has undergone, especially the Discovery Network with Discovery+, will only benefit them and lead to increased audiences in the future.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGabriela Alvares
ReplyDeleteBlog 4 Lifestyle & Niche Media
Works Cited
Associated Press. "Stay-at-Home Rules Are Boosting HGTV, Food Network Viewership." MarketWatch. 5 May 2020. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/stay-at-home-rules-are-boosting-hgtv-food-network-viewership-2020-05-05. Accessed Feb. 25, 2021.
Jarvey, Natalie. "Discovery+ to Join Streaming Wars with January Launch." The Hollywood Reporter. 2 Dec. 2020. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/discovery-to-join-streaming-wars-with-january-launch. Accessed Feb. 25, 2021.
O’Connell, Mikey. “How Food Network and HGTV Lean on Talent as Service TV Viewership Surges.” The Hollywood Reporter. 9 April 2020. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/food-network-coronavirus-filmed-content-surging-audiences-1289451. Accessed Feb. 25, 2021.
Rachel Sapienza
ReplyDeleteThe allure of niche and lifestyle programming was eloquently described by travel show host Samantha Brown in an article by Reality Blurred. In a statement made on Instagram she said that “Travel shows are in what is known as the “Lifestyle” category with other subcategories being Home and Food. My fellow TV hosts and I have a wonderful relationship with our viewers, you turn on the TV and there we are—quite literally—in your homes. We can whisk you off to Europe, help remodel your bathroom and teach you the best way to roast a chicken.” This type of programming is helpful and relatable or it can be informative or even a form of escapism. It’s a rich category of media. It is one that has seen a boost from the stay-at-home orders and behaviors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Market Watch, the Food Network’s overall ratings in April were up 25% over the same month last year, and HGTV was also up
22%. The networks both adjusted with pandemic-related programming. In the same piece, Kathleen Finch of Discovery said that people are gravitating to lifestyle programming because they provide more than entertainment. People are forced to cook more for themselves at home and have more time to learn recipes. They also now have time to work on home improvement and DIY renovations because they are at home more. Of course, they also provide entertainment still. In class, we’ve talked about TLC’s 90-Day Fiance and the huge ratings boost it has given the network this year. They are coming out with another niche dating show as well. Lifestyle and niche media have their place in SVOD and the streaming wars with Discovery+ which launched this year. According to Hollywood Reporter, “Discovery+ will combine programming from across the conglomerate's brands, including HGTV, Food Network,
TLC, Animal Planet, and OWN. It will also include programming from A&E Networks channels A+E, History and Lifetime.” The subscription will start at $5 per month with ads and without ads will cost $7 a month. Legacy television has seen how important streaming services are and this is what they’re offering their audiences to stay viable in the SVOD era. Personally in my home, we watch HGTV and The Food Network for “background noise” and something comforting and fun to watch as a family. This is a popular idea. In an article from The Verge, Julia Alexander wrote that Discovery Plus is the perfect ambient TV for working from home. The article includes a quote from Discovery CEO David Zaslav, “Our bet is when the world makes a full rotation, that the content people have chosen when they could choose anything on TV or cable, the content that they love and run home for — 90 Day, Fixer Upper, Property Brothers — they’re still going to love that,” I would agree. People want their old favorite channels but they want them in the form of subscription-based direct-to-consumer services.
Works Cited
Dehnart, Andy. “Samantha Brown Calls out the 'Void of Diversity' in Travel, Food, and Home Reality TV Hosts.” Reality Blurred, 5 June 2020, www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2020/06/samantha-brown-diversity-travel-home-food-reality-tv/.
Jarvey, Natalie. “Discovery+ to Join Streaming Wars With January Launch.” The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/discovery-to-join-streaming-wars-with-january-launch.
Press, Associated. “Stay-at-Home Rules Are Boosting HGTV, Food Network Viewership.” MarketWatch, MarketWatch, 5 May 2020, www.marketwatch.com/story/stay-at-home-rules-are-boosting-hgtv-food-network-viewership-2020-05-05.
Summer Perratti (Part 1)
ReplyDeleteDespite the popular rise in SVOD services, lifestyle and niche cable TV networks have been able to secure a devoted audience that keeps their appeal relevant. While lifestyle and niche TV like TLC, The Food Network and QVC have traditionally relied on stay-at-home individuals for their viewership, the COVID-19 pandemic has paved the way for a new wave of lifestyle viewers. According to an article titled “Stay-at-home rules are boosting HGTV, Food Network viewership” by the Associated Press, “The Food Network’s overall ratings in April were up 25% over the same month last year, while HGTV was up 22%.” This is extremely impressive for cable TV programming, particularly in the SVOD era where streaming services have virtually dominated both media coverage and television screens. In the article, chief lifestyle brand officer for Discovery-owned networks Kathleen Finch suggests that people are “gravitating” toward lifestyle and niche tv networks “because [they] provide more than entertainment right now.” This is generally true, as many lifestyle programs offer some sort of service to viewers, whether it be purchasable products, organizational skills or cooking recipes. Therefore, it makes sense that Americans quarantining in their homes are likely to tune into some sort of lifestyle programming, particularly with rising trends of pandemic-induced home projects and renovations. In addition to the informative appeal of lifestyle and niche media, viewers are attracted to these respective types of programming for its unscripted and nonfictional nature. While the vast majority of media on SVOD services like Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+ are fictional, scripted content, lifestyle cable TV reminds viewers of the existence of real people and real life. In other words, lifestyle TV can serve as a breath of fresh air for many viewers who are tired of fabricated media movies and shows.
Perratti (Part 2)
DeleteAlthough the increasing rates of viewership have been promising for the future of lifestyle media on cable TV, it would be ignorant to dismiss the threat of SVOD services as competition. In attempt to remain viable, lifestyle and niche media has finally entered the realm of streaming, particularly with the launching of Discovery+ in January of 2021. In an article by The Hollywood Reporter, author Inkoo Kang argues that the niche and lifestyle catalogue offered by Discovery+ poses a threat to competing services: “...the service will offer more than 2,500 series (totaling 55,000 episodes) in addition to original programming, rivaling Disney+’s catalogue in both its vastness and predictable (or comforting) mediocrity” (Kang). By launching a streaming service almost entirely dedicated to lifestyle and niche media, Discovery+ offers something new and exciting for many frequent streamers. This is likely the smartest move for creators of related media, seeing as 60% of Americans have “ditched cable TV,” according to a Waterstone Management Group survey featured in a Boy Genius Report article (Meek). To no fault of its own, lifestyle programs are not immune to the failing trends of cable TV, meaning that some sort of transformation must take place in order for the media to stay viable. Since this type of media already has a hold on so many American viewers, creators will likely see a future of extraordinary success if they moved their content primarily onto streaming services.
Perratti (Works Cited)
DeleteKang, Inkoo. "Discovery+ Streaming Service - TV Review." The Hollywood Reporter 4 Jan. 2021.
"Stay-at-Home Rules Are Boosting HGTV, Food Network Viewership." Associated Press (via MarketWatch) 5 May 2020.
Meek, Andy. “Surprising no one, survey shows almost 60% of Americans have ditched cable TV.” Boys Genius Report 29 January 2019.