I would like to react on this not only because I was upset about the news (note: Nashville TV series were what brought me to Nashville), but also because as a marketer and television industry worker, I can't help but notice the tremendous impact the cancellation of the show has had on social network (#nashies, #BringBackNashville). It is stirring up fans all over the world, but also shaking the TV industry.
Nashville, so much more than 'just' another TV
Nashville seems to have changed many people's lives, mine included.
Many that I have met during my trip have come to check out the city, the Bluebird Cafe and the Grand Ole Opry specifically after having watched the TV series. And, as I explained in one of my earlier posts, I would probably never have come to Nashville (TN) had the show not existed. It is a huge promotional tool for the city, as Mayor Megan Barry mentioned to the news:
We are incredibly disappointed to hear the news that ABC has not renewed the show ‘Nashville’ for another season. The show has been an enormously successful promotional tool for our city, which is why the State of Tennessee and Metro Nashville were prepared to support production for a fifth season the be filmed here. This is a loss for ABC and for the millions of fans across the world who have grown to love this show. We have enjoyed hosting the cast and crew of the show over the last four years and look forward to future opportunities for film and television production here in Nashville.
But, if we set aside the marketing and tourism impact the show has had on the city, there's still so much more to it. Being here in Nashville at this time, I feel people's pride in the series every day. How many fictional shows actually make people proud, the way Nashville has done?
There is pride in the exceptional cast of the show: it's members are both exceptional musicians AND actors, and there is pride in the fact that it is all happening right here in this city that more and more people are calling "home". Nashville has turned people all around the world into "Nashies", that is how powerful it is.
There is pride in the exceptional cast of the show: it's members are both exceptional musicians AND actors, and there is pride in the fact that it is all happening right here in this city that more and more people are calling "home". Nashville has turned people all around the world into "Nashies", that is how powerful it is.
Here is a Twitter example with Nathalie from Geneva (Switzerland), participating in the "change your profile pic" in support of bringing Nashville back:
The cast members have also been posting intense messages on social network, showing how much "Nashville" meant to them, and how it has changed their lives.
In a different and more distant setting, my professional bias would have me thinking that production may be behind all these heartfelt Facebook posts for marketing reasons, but I've seen it is not the case here. Having watched the cast members perform live during the Tin Pan South music festival when I first arrived, I felt a very honest vibe and passion for music, for the show and for each other. They were close to their public and it was all one big, happy family. All that, without the craze that actors from other TV shows may cause: that was the "magic" of Nashville, a magic caused by the music bringing people together.
Nashville is not just a broadcasted "story" and each cast member seems to personally and proudly carry the show, because they relate to their artist characters.
Nashville is not just a broadcasted "story" and each cast member seems to personally and proudly carry the show, because they relate to their artist characters.
What changes in the TV industry are causing a show that people love to be cancelled?
This may not be the end of Nashville: Lionsgate, producer of the show, is shopping the series to different outlets as it has been confirmed on Twitter, giving hope to many fans and cast members for a 5th season.
As stated by Entertainment Weekly, although it seems unlikely that other major broadcasters would take on the show, there are other options: streaming (Hulu) or cable network channels.
With an average of 6.3 millions viewers, was Nashville not generating enough money for ABC? Could the absence of Hayden Panettiere halfway through the 4th season have had an impact on the 2 million less viewers than in the first season?
Or was that drop in audience due to those viewers shifting to illegal streaming?
This contributes to raising more questions about a shifting TV industry:
- Will streaming services be able to pick up and take over what is no longer working for traditional TV and actually make profit out of it?
- What will the outcome be for traditional TV since people's love for a TV show is no longer sufficient to generate revenue like it used to in a competitive market?
- What if such a move by ABC (among many others) was actually encouraging the shift towards streaming?
With an average of 6.3 millions viewers, was Nashville not generating enough money for ABC? Could the absence of Hayden Panettiere halfway through the 4th season have had an impact on the 2 million less viewers than in the first season?
Or was that drop in audience due to those viewers shifting to illegal streaming?
This contributes to raising more questions about a shifting TV industry:
- Will streaming services be able to pick up and take over what is no longer working for traditional TV and actually make profit out of it?
- What will the outcome be for traditional TV since people's love for a TV show is no longer sufficient to generate revenue like it used to in a competitive market?
- What if such a move by ABC (among many others) was actually encouraging the shift towards streaming?
These are just a few of many questions to open the discussion about a shifting TV industry. Please feel free to share your thoughts on this!
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