'Disaster of a year' for new TV shows

(Hollywood Reporter) – Only 23 percent of last season's new broadcast series -- excluding reality and mid-season shows -- were picked up for the fall, the lowest rate in five years, a research report said Wednesday.

In all, the just-finished 2010/11 TV season was a "disaster of a year for new hit programing," Nomura analyst Michael Nathanson wrote.

Of the new scripted shows launched in the fall of 2010, only five are returning for next season. A year earlier, the success rate was 50 percent.

As a result of the dearth of new hits, "the value of shows that are now deemed 'hits' are rising despite their smaller ratings," according to the analyst.

International syndication revenue is often large enough to offset the production deficit and bring a current show to break-even in year one, thereby accelerating the investment returns for the TV studios."

LAMediaWatch.com