http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cables-new-secret-weapon-big-names/
New launches from Zach Galifianakis and Khloe Kardashian By Toni Fitzgerald January 27, 2016 For years on broadcast, the networks seemed to believe that landing big names would turn a show into an instant hit. Stars such as Rebel Wilson, Toni Collette, Seth Greene, Michael J. Fox, Sean Hayes and more were recruited to headline shows. Alas, while those actors may have been brilliant, the material surrounding them was not. Their shows were quickly canceled. On cable, however, viewers embrace big names. The story of the new year so far has been the debut of a slew of new shows with celebrity stars that have drawn good numbers. FX’s new show “Baskets,” which stars “The Hangover’s” Zach Galifianakis, had the best debut for any cable comedy in over a year among total viewers, drawing 1.75 million, according to Nielsen live-plusthree-day-DVR playback numbers. In 18-49s, it was the second-best bow since 2013, drawing 1.05 million. Galifianakis wasn’t the only star setting records last week. FYI’s new talk show “Kocktails with Khloe,” starring Khloe Kardashian, averaged 496,000 total viewers for its Wednesday bow, becoming the mostwatched debut in network history, and drew 313,000 18-49s. And on pay cable, Showtime’s “Billions,” starring Emmy winner Damian Lewis and Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti has already been renewed after just two episodes. So why does the celebrity allure work on cable and not broadcast? Well, it’s only been a week for two of the shows, and the effect could wear off. But there are other reasons stars shine on cable. One is that expectations are lower. If any of those stars from broadcast had launched their shows on cable, they surely would have found enough of an audience to stay afloat. And some of it is simply finding the right vehicle. Cable is more niche. Stars can find material that fits them better, whether it’s smart, quirky or dopey, and find the right audience on a network that’s branded to a very narrow niche. Kardashian, for instance, became a star on E!’s “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” and she’s not branching out much for her “Kocktails” with other C-listers. _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews_etskywarn.net
