The unscripted programming industry is facing a depressed job market and a lack of opportunities, despite the increased demand for reality TV amid ongoing strikes in Hollywood. Many professionals in the genre have not worked for months, and the current situation is different from the previous writers strike, where reality TV saw a rise in value. The belt-tightening in the industry, lack of breakout hits, and spending cuts by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav are contributing factors. There is interest from the Writers Guild to include unscripted producers under its contract, but the prospects remain uncertain. Some hope that reality talent will support the work stoppages, while others prioritize landing a paycheck. The importance of individuals taking initiative in informing the union about tenable environments for union contracts is emphasized.
Disney's annual upfront presentation focused heavily on unscripted programming due to the ongoing writers' strike, with around 70 minutes devoted to live sports, reality TV, and news before any scripted series were presented. Marvel and Star Wars provided some highlights with sneak peeks at upcoming Disney+ shows, while late night host Jimmy Kimmel was a no-show in solidarity with the writers' strike. Around 100 Writers Guild members and other union supporters marched outside the Javits Center during the event.
ABC has announced a fall 2023 primetime schedule heavy on unscripted programming due to the ongoing writers strike. The schedule includes the return of "Dancing With the Stars" and the addition of "The Golden Bachelor," a new older-skewing iteration in "The Bachelor" franchise. ABC had considered acquiring titles from the Disney+ originals library but ultimately decided to lean on "shows that are proven and are winning in their time periods and fairly dominant in the landscape" to build a "credible strike-proof" schedule for the fall.
ABC has renewed nine series for the 2023-24 TV season, including The Conners and Not Dead Yet, as well as a bulk of its unscripted lineup, such as America’s Funniest Home Videos, American Idol, The Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise, Celebrity Jeopardy!, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, and Shark Tank. The network is expected to rely heavily on unscripted programming due to the Writers Guild of America strike, which could delay the start of production on scripted shows for the fall. ABC is still deciding on the futures of two scripted series and five pilots.
The Hollywood writers strike has impacted major television networks' annual week of sales presentations to advertisers, with Fox declining to announce a fall television schedule and NBC Universal's upfront presentations lacking star power due to the absence of entertainers. The strike has forced the shutdown of some TV shows and may result in a greater reliance on unscripted programming. The Peabody Awards have also been canceled due to the strike.
Netflix plans to continue its live event efforts, particularly for unscripted programming, despite technical difficulties during the "Love is Blind" reunion special. Co-CEO Greg Peters apologized for the mishap and explained that a bug caused the delay. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos hinted at more live events to generate buzz and news. However, analysts caution that consumers may not easily forgive live event slip-ups, especially when it involves their favorite shows. Netflix reported mixed Q1 results, missing subscriber estimates but beating earnings per share expectations. The company also revealed plans for a broad rollout of its crackdown on password-sharing, including in the US.
