The last 6 months have seen many trends develop across the scripted TV space. The continued rise of IP adaptations, studios becoming more active in the second window, and Amazon Prime’s acceleration of third-party acquisitions are just some of the recent shifts we’ve identified in our latest Show Tracker report as the scripted TV market continue to evolve in 2024.
IP adaptations taking centre stage
Over the past several TV seasons, US commissioners have become steadily more reliant on existing IP for their new titles, with less than a third of commissioned titles so far this year coming from original concepts. The recent runaway success of 'Fallout' on Amazon Prime demonstrates the wide reaching effect that titles adapted from existing IP can have, tapping into an audience far wider than just the dedicated fanbase of the video games the show was adapted from.
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The IP source itself is also becoming more varied. While traditional adaptations (Literature, TV, Film) still make up a significant proportion of commissions, there is growth from other IP sources such as video games, podcasts and real events occurring more recently, with more growth expected as Sony continues to utilise its wealth of PlayStation IP with commissioners such as HBO (‘Last of Us’), Peacock (‘Twisted Metal’) and Amazon Prime (‘God of War’).
Studios selling second windows after vertical integration
Studios are starting to sell more of their titles originally destined as originals for their services to third-parties in the second window. Many of these second window buyers are being granted full boxset or stacking rights, representing a big break from the traditional second window after SVOD strategy of only granting 30 day catch-up or less to broadcasters. The caveat for these full rights, particularly for Disney titles, is that more often than not these second windows do not include exclusivity, with most of Disney’s recent second window titles still being available on Disney+ for subscribers. If timed correctly, second windows of titles such as ‘Extraordinary’ on ITX can effectively serve as marketing for upcoming seasons that inevitably come out first on Disney+.
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Amazon Prime becoming a more dependable acquirer of content
On the distribution side, Amazon Prime is revealing itself as a more dependable acquirer of content, supplementing their digital original output with third-party content. Over the past few TV seasons the number of titles acquired in single markets has risen dramatically, with the 23/24 season seeing a further injection of multi-market deals such as ‘The Continental’ from Lionsgate, which saw a global release on Amazon outside the US, branded as an Amazon Original.
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The Show Tracker mid-season report
The 2024 mid-season Show Tracker report analyses the biggest trends happening in the scripted commissioning, distribution and acquisition space using the latest Show Tracker data. In it, we break down the key factors shaping the type of scripted TV being produced as well as the most active buyers across both local and global markets, diving into the detail of what shows big SVOD buyers like Amazon are acquiring, which markets they are prioritising and who they are engaging with the most.
If you are a Show Tracker subscriber, reach out to get your session in the diary so you have an opportunity to quiz the Show Tracker team on the latest trends that we are highlighting. If you are not a subscriber, this report can be made available for standalone purchase, so if you’d like to get a comprehensive view of the latest trends across Scripted TV then get in touch!
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