When the last drop 91Ƶ or gallon 91Ƶ of blood is shed and an exultant victor has ascended to the Iron Throne, viewers may be split over how HBO91Ƶs fantasy saga ended but they91Ƶll be joined in deprivation.
91ƵWhat do you do without 91ƵGame of Thrones?91Ƶ91Ƶ will be the lament heard after the May 19 finale, said media analyst Larry Gerbrandt. The question is even more critical to the pay-cable channel, which soared on dragon91Ƶs wings with its hugely popular, eight-season adaptation of George R.R. Martin91Ƶs novels.
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Keeping subscribers on board means more than another hit, even one as globally dazzling as 91ƵGame of Thrones91Ƶ proved to be. But it91Ƶs where HBO can start to protect its brand and position, observers say, an effort both demanded and compounded by an increasingly congested small-screen landscape and the expectations of the channel91Ƶs corporate owner since 2016, AT&T.
91ƵI think they need a prestige show on this level to remain HBO,91Ƶ Bill Carter, a media analyst for CNN and former reporter for The New York Times. But 91Ƶmore than ever, it91Ƶs really hard to find a hit show and to break through in this marketplace.91Ƶ
The channel is well into the hunt for a worthy successor, with one possibility an untitled prequel to 91ƵGame of Thrones91Ƶ created by Martin and Jane Goldman and starring Naomi Watts. Set to begin shooting a pilot in June, it91Ƶs among several potential 91ƵThrones91Ƶ spinoffs being weighed, with discussions at HBO about 91Ƶhow many is too many,91Ƶ said programming chief Casey Bloys.
91ƵWe have high hopes91Ƶ for the pilot, he said. 91ƵBut I want to be clear, nobody is going into this thinking that we91Ƶre going to do a prequel and all of a sudden everybody who automatically watched 91ƵGame of Thrones91Ƶ is going to watch this. 91Ƶ It91Ƶll have a different feel and different rhythm. We91Ƶre not trying to do the same show again.91Ƶ
That begs the question of what more HBO has to offer, he said. During a period in which 91ƵGame of Thrones91Ƶ was off the air for scheduling reasons, series including 91ƵWestworld,91Ƶ 91ƵSharp Objects91Ƶ and 91ƵBarry91Ƶ proved strong draws, Bloys said.
91ƵI91Ƶm not going to argue that we won91Ƶt miss 91ƵGame of Thrones.91Ƶ It91Ƶs been a fantastic show for us, but life does go on,91Ƶ he said. He points to a deep bench of returnees, including Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon91Ƶs 91ƵBig Little Lies,91Ƶ and newcomers including the graphic novel-based 91ƵWatchmen91Ƶ from 91ƵLost91Ƶ producer Damon Lindelof. One marquee series that91Ƶs also in its final season: the much-admired comedy 91ƵVeep,91Ƶ with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
HBO, which launched in 1972 and whose cachet has long justified the boastful slogan, 91ƵIt91Ƶs not TV. It91Ƶs HBO,91Ƶ has reached this crossroads before. At the turn of the century, pop-culture sensations 91ƵThe Sopranos91Ƶ and 91ƵSex and the City91Ƶ boosted the channel91Ƶs visibility and subscribers and made it a serious player for prestige awards 91Ƶ including cable91Ƶs first-ever Emmys for best drama and comedy series. After the shows wrapped, the channel moved nimbly on with audience-pleasers including 91ƵSix Feet Under91Ƶ and 91ƵTrue Blood.91Ƶ
But that was then, and this is the time of streaming 91Ƶ or, in shorthand, Netflix, along with a growing host of others including Amazon and Hulu 91Ƶ and a shoulder-bumping rush for stars and showmakers to churn out more and more fare for outlets already awash in programming.
HBO, no longer a singular alternative to staid broadcast networks, also got new corporate ownership when AT&T bought its parent company, Time Warner. HBO recently saw the exit of its chief executive, Richard Plepler, who had been with the channel for nearly 30 years and guided it to 91ƵGame of Thrones91Ƶ glory.
With AT&T91Ƶs resources, HBO has stepped up production and will see a 50% increase in the number of original program hours this year, Bloys said, arguing that volume doesn91Ƶt preclude high quality: 91ƵThere91Ƶs nothing in 2019 that we91Ƶre putting on the air because we91Ƶre trying to hit an hour count. 91Ƶ We haven91Ƶt lowered any of our standards to reach a certain level of programming91Ƶ and there is no pressure to do otherwise from WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey, he said.
Subscribers ultimately will decide whether they think the shows are what they want. But expanding the pipeline is unavoidable, said Tuna Amobi, a media and entertainment analyst with investment firm CFRA.
91ƵIt91Ƶs a very different competitive landscape for HBO than it was when they launched 91ƵGame of Thrones,91Ƶ and they realize that. That91Ƶs why you see them ratcheting up their investments in their programming,91Ƶ Amobi said. Also key is how HBO91Ƶs online platform is integrated with planned WarnerMedia streaming offerings to reach the broadest audience possible and make full use of its content, he added.
HBO 91Ƶcannot rely on the old ways of doing things and hope that being a premium channel will bail you out,91Ƶ he said.
91ƵGame of Thrones,91Ƶ which debuted in 2011, has flourished despite the confounding number of small-screen choices. From its first-season average weekly tally of 9.3 million cumulative viewers, the series rose to a seventh-season high of 32.8 million across all HBO platforms, including the channel itself and streaming services HBO Go and HBO Now and over a period extending 30 days beyond the season91Ƶs end.
It benefited from the devoted following for Martin91Ƶs 91ƵA Song of Ice and Fire91Ƶ clutch of novels. It was richly and painstakingly produced, filmed in 10 countries including Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Morocco, Iceland and Canada. Its appealing cast became household names, and the female characters that grew in stature and strength as the drama unfolded are routinely namechecked as part of the female-empowerment zeitgeist.
91ƵGame of Thrones91Ƶ could boast of its Emmy dominance as well, with 47 trophies to date including three best drama series awards. Last year, it denied a second consecutive win to a worthy opponent, Hulu91Ƶs 91ƵThe Handmaid91Ƶs Tale,91Ƶ but HBO itself lost valuable Emmy bragging rights: It was surpassed in total nominations for the first time in 17 years and by relative newcomer Netflix, and the streamer tied HBO in wins.
Analyst Gerbrandt, of Media Valuation Partners, isn91Ƶt counting the channel out. Many viewers still like so-called 91Ƶcurated91Ƶ TV delivered to them, as opposed to searching online through dozens or hundreds of offerings, he said. There91Ƶs also the power of perception at work.
91ƵIf there91Ƶs a brand that survives strictly on name, it91Ƶs probably HBO,91Ƶ he said.
Lynn Elber, The Associated Press
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