Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Wednesday, March 27th, 2024

Sometimes effectively promoting a streaming show requires more than simply dropping a trailer.

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, March 27th, 2024:

SOMETIMES EFFECTIVELY PROMOTING A SHOW REQUIRES MORE NUANCE THAN DROPPING A TRAILER
I've written a lot in the past about the timing of marketing and PR at the major streamers, especially at Netflix. Titles are often not even announced until perhaps a month out from the premiere. And feature coverage or reviews are often embargoed until just before the premiere. Or even simultaneous with the debut.

There are several reasons for this industry trend, but a primary one is the deeply held belief that in a media environment where multiple new titles are released daily, promoting an original series or movie too far out is essentially a wasted effort. Subscribers won't remember to watch something that is being promoted weeks ahead of the premiere. And if the marketing is too successful, it will ironically make the project feel old and overhyped by the time subscribers can watch it.

The downside of this approach is that often that tight promotional window creates the very thing the embargoes are meant to prevent. The marketing and promotion for multiple shows will hit on the same day, providing a firehouse of conflicting priorities for viewers. And when three or four or five titles are released at the same time, the bulk of attention will naturally flow to the highest profile releases. Leaving other projects to hope viewers accidentally run across the title and watch it.

But there is a more specific problem with some titles. They present special marketing issues and the typical approach of releasing some photos and a trailer a couple of weeks out from the premiere can potentially harm the premiere. Viewers can have snap judgements about a new show or movie. And with no other info to draw on, an off-target trailer can actually depress the interest of the audience ahead of the premiere.

If you are looking for an example of this issue, check out the trailer for Netflix's new animated series Good Times, which the network describes as an "irreverent reimagining of the TV classic." The trailer was released today and I think it's fair to say that the response from many people has been less than positive.

There are two conflicting problems with the trailer. If you were a fan of the original Good Times, watching a trailer that features (among other things) a drug-dealing, blinged-out baby and more guns than you'll find in a C-level action film is more than a bit jarring. It's not just that this is a reimagining. This take on Good Times seems to have forgotten the dignity and shared love that made the original Norman Lear comedy so endearing.

But it's not clear to me that the trailer is all that interesting either to viewers who are too young to have seen the original series. Using the catchphrase "Dy-no-mite" in an entirely new context seems awkward and weird. But its use reinforces the feeling that this Good Times is a mash-up of three or four different shows that can't decide on a consistent tone.

I have no idea if Good Times 2024 is any good or not. I have not yet to be able to obtain screeners from Netflix. And even if I could, I likely wouldn't be able to talk about what I thought of the show. Which is a problem. Because this is a show that needs context. It needs critics who have seen the series publicly discussing it. It needs feature pieces timed to drop with the trailer that feature the showrunner and others involved with the show explaining their approach. 

Instead, all we have is the trailer and a few random photos. So by the time the series premieres in mid-April, many subscribers minds will have already been made up about whether they plan to watch.

Not every show needs this type of nuanced promotion and management. But some do. And my observation about Netflix is that it continues to struggle to consistently deliver the nimble and nuanced PR some titles require in this crowded media environment.

SPEAKING OF MARKETING MISSTEPS
By all accounts the executives at Max see CNN as a prime driver of the streaming services' future. In multiple interviews, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has touted a future in which CNN is used by many Max users as their primary news source. There are reported plans to build out the news network's digital offerings and feature CNN programming more often on Max.

The problem is that some percentage of Max's audience likely don't much care for CNN. The network is a target for conservatives, who see the organization as filled with deep state journalism hacks. Given that, convincing them to tune in to CNN programming is a bit of a challenge.

Based on I've noticed recently, the folks at Max have apparently decided that the best approach is to pretend that CNN doesn't exist. I've seen numerous examples of CNN and CNN International programs being promoted on Max with no network branding.

I noticed this example earlier today:

This image was in the lead spot on the home page top promotional carousel. 

The explanation of the show is vague, there's no sense if this is a news program, a talk show or something else.

What the show turns out to be is a daily CNN International show that the network describes as "CNN International's flagship Middle East two hour news program." None is which is apparent in this blurb with no network branding and arguably the least compelling headshot since the Paula Deen days on the Food Network.

I honestly don't understand the point of this. Even if you trick people into clicking into the show, it's likely not going to be what they expect. For what it's worth, if you are looking for a centrist global news perspective, Connect The World is a pretty good choice. But I'm not convinced this is the best way to bring in a streaming audience.

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27TH, 2024:
* Dead Hot (Tubi)
* grown-ish (Freeform)
* No Pressure (Netflix)
* Rest In Peace (Netflix)
* Testament: The Story Of Moses (Netflix)
* The Believers Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Time Season Two Premiere (Britbox)

THURSDAY, MARCH 28TH:
* American Rust: Broken Justice Season Two Premiere (Prime Video) - [first look video]
* Bad Dinosaurs Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Hope On The Street Series Premiere (Prime Video) - [first look video]
* Ronja The Robber's Daughter Series Premiere (Netflix)
* The Baxters Series Premiere (Prime Video) - [first look video]
* We Were The Lucky Ones (Hulu)

SEE YOU ON THURSDAY!