Something that we briefly mentioned in class, but didn’t discuss specifically in our conversation after the screening was the way that shows like Downton fit into the four-step plan that ITV is going for (and tied Downton to in that slide Becker showed us). I thought I’d go through each of the concepts and try to tie Downton to the direction that ITV is trying to go.
Step 1: Being creatively dynamic with the budget.
While period costume dramas are not the most cost-effective genre to produce, ITV is at least getting more bang for its buck by producing a longer series. Yes, more money might be going out, but since it’s a hit, more money will be coming in because people will need to see more ads in order to see more Downton. It was a risk to produce such a costly product, but it definitely paid off for them. Being “creative” doesn’t need to mean being frugal. It can also mean being selective about certain risks, as we can see in this case. Plus, it seems like Benidorm and TV Burp were relatively low-budget (compared to Downton), so the channel isn’t being reckless, just choosy.
Step 2: Good ratings = more advertising dollars
Here, it is easy to see where Downton fits in. The show is extremely popular in the UK, which will bring with it advertising dollars from the broadcast as well as online viewing. Again, it was a risk because pretty clothes and mansions don’t come cheap, but the risk from Step 1 paid off in Step 2.
Step 3: More money, more platforms
Isn’t is great how these steps are all interconnected? Good going, ITV. Anyway, as mentioned above, Downton is available online, which not only draws more eyeballs to ads when watching online, but also to other content (like interviews, articles, and extras) that will draw superfans in even more. The show has large Twitter and Facebook fanbases, and while those necessarily earn the channel money, it might earn them more devoted fans who might buy Downton merchandise or new fans who are friends of existing fans who check out the show (and see the ads) online.
Step 4: International Money
The success of Downton in the US shows that the risk from Step 1 continues to pay off in Step 4. Downton has been hugely popular here and, according to the BBC, over 100 countries have gotten rights to air it. 100! A love of pretty dresses and soapy goodness is a basic human trait, apparently. ITV definitely accomplished this Step with Downton.
Overall, it’s clear that Downton, while potentially risky because of the initial cost, definitely fits into the new five-year plan of ITV and was certainly worth the investment.
(Fun fact: I just found out Downton is produced by NBC Universal. Um, what?!)
I wonder, if somehow they could have aired it on NBC in the US instead of PBS, would anyone have watched it or would it be yet another NBC show? Would anyone take an NBC costume drama seriously or does the channel branding tell us that PBS is one of the only places for a costume drama to be seen or taken seriously?