 |
| Discovery TV - too corporate? |
The latest takeover deal of Scripp's Network (owner of Food Network amongst others) by Discovery is another sign of the increasing consolidation within the media/TV sector.
It seems that the deal has been on the cards for some time but I was still slightly surprised to find that there wasn't an uplift in Discovery's share price (it does seem a lot of money though).
Problem is that against Netflix and Amazon this looks a bit of a tired offering - increasingly pay TV viewers want something that generates the 'Water Cooler' moments the big networks used to be able to rely on - Diners, Drive ins And Dives just isn't in that arena. (for that matter nor is my favourite the Charles Stiles Mystery Diners ).
Where critical mass is so important I'm a bit puzzled that the UK's ITV is still by itself - it does at present in the world market kick above its size.
What I noticed when I worked for Discovery was that it had a very corporate structure, to make a good profit there's an element of risk- relegating your outfit to 'Utility' status is not great - I'm not sure that this is the best for a 21st Century creative enterprise.
No comments:
Post a Comment