Independent Studios and FULL SERIES sets (1 Viewer)

[Ollie]

Much discussion has been had of late over the seeming unwillingness of the major studios to commit to full SERIES sets of a show until they see how well season 1 of a series sells.

How is it then, that the smaller independent studios are seemingly able to commit to subsequent seasons BEFORE season 1 is even released?

Two cases in point, MPI's Season 1 set of The Doris Day Show, came with a trailer advertising the forthcoming Season 2 set. Each subsequent set has likewise PRE-viewed the upcoming next season.

Shout! Factory announced that they were working on Season 2 of That Girl months before Season 1 ever hit the shelves. True to their word, there's now a pre-order listing for Season 2 on the DDD website. If the release of subsequent Seasons weighs so heavily on how Season 1 doesfor the major studios, how are these studios able to go out on a limb and commit to the follow up seasons BEFORE they even get the sales numbers for Season 1?

Can those of you with more insight into the workings of the industry help clarify this for me?

 

[Michael Alden]

All of the shows that are being put out by independents are being licensed from individuals as opposed to big companies. For instance Marlo Thomas owns That Girl, Doris Day owns her show, Family Affair is I'm sure coming from Don Fedderson's heirs. When these deals are cut they are most likely being cut for the whole run of the shows, not by seasons. Besides that, independent companies are just looking to make a profit and aren't under the same mandates to make huge profits on every project they undertake. The majors own the shows outright and do not have to commit to doing a full run if it proves unprofitable to them. In addition, they have made their money back on these shows a hundred times over so it's not as if they find it necessary to try to get more out of them if they are not highly marketable.