We have said it before here at the Outpost. Streamers offer unparalleled opportunities to creatives. Never before has there been such an opportunity to deliver so much content to so many people, frequently in a way that lets the story breathe and with less studio interference than for movies.
However there is a downside. It’s a ruthless, unforgiving metrics driven place where the analytics are available instantly. Nothing goes on the bubble in this world. Nobody waits for sweeps week. You fail to hit the hurdle rate, and you are toast.
Latest to discover this is David Wiener’s sci-fi drama series Brave New World. Peacock has opted not to renew for a second season. They will be allowed to shop it to other networks.
Four months ago, the Alden Ehrenreich-led series launched all nine episodes at the same time as the streamer launched. Poor reviews and a serious lack of buzz really didn’t help, despite being based on Aldous Huxley’s groundbreaking and world famous dystopian novel.
It didn’t do the numbers, and the axe has fallen.
At the same time NBCUniversal CEO announced 22 million sign ups, with a 35 million target by 2024. He declared his streaming service:
“…opposite of Quibi…”
He said they are way ahead of current internal targets and all metrics are looking good.
