“Breaking Bad”, the cult series released in 2008, had won no fewer than sixteen Emmys; “Mad Men”, released a year earlier, was the most acclaimed show from 2007 to 2010; “The Wire”, produced by HBO and broadcast in the U.S. from2002 to2008, exalted U.S. critics who called it one of the best television series ever. The list could go on, including “Transparent”, “Fleabag” and “The Fantastic Mrs. Maisel”.
From the analysis that emerges from the article in The Post, which discusses them, what accumulates these TV products, released in the 2000s and especially in the following decade, is the quality of the storytelling and the very high budget that has returned streaming platforms more in terms of credibility, than profits.
We are at a time when streaming platforms are developing, and increasing subscriptions was an important indicator. Producing so much quality content was considered an investment in terms of communication. In reference to that golden age of television, the term “peak TV” was coined.
As the article in The Post points out, this economic model no longer works today. Streaming platforms and their investors are more oriented toward profits, to achieve which almost all of them have introduced the possibility of subscribing with advertising and have stopped producing quality series, reverting to the logic of traditional TV: programming for a wide audience to optimize costs and increase revenues.
The only exception in this landscape is “Stranger Things”, which is also a big hit with audiences thanks to the marketing campaign Netflix did for the fourth season. Audience engagement with this “immersive” mode could have continuity with Netflix Houses, announced for 2024, to capitalize on the platform’s original content efforts.
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