By R.T. Watson
Stories starring real people are attracting some of the world's
biggest celebrities, from the Obamas to Kim Kardashian, as
nonfiction programming has become essential to companies aiming to
build streaming services.
Unscripted shows and documentary projects tend to be cheaper to
make than their scripted counterparts, offering the potential for
bigger profits if they become popular. According to market-research
company Reelgood, the cumulative number of reality TV shows offered
on streaming services nearly doubled in the first quarter of this
year when compared with 2020.
AT&T Inc. placed a premium on this type of entertainment in
its recent deal to merge WarnerMedia with Discovery Inc., a big
player in unscripted programming known for its top-rated reality
franchise "90 Day Fiancé" and others, such as "Fixer Upper."
Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav said after the deal was
announced that combining his company's expertise in unscripted
productions with WarnerMedia's prowess in scripted shows will be
explosive.
In addition, the Kardashians are putting out a new show on Walt
Disney Co.'s Hulu streaming service, and Prince Harry and Meghan
Markle's Archewell Productions is making a documentary series for
Netflix Inc. about military veterans competing in athletics after
experiencing debilitating injuries or illnesses. Former President
Barack and Michelle Obama's company has found success producing
unscripted projects, including last year's Oscar-winner for best
documentary, "American Factory."
ViacomCBS Inc. CEO Bob Bakish, who is trying to build out his
company's streaming service Paramount+, recently dubbed unscripted
programming "the fastest-growing genre in streaming." The company
spent $15 billion on content last year and has made nonfiction a
priority with shows such as the tattoo artist series "Ink Master"
and docuseries "From Cradle to Stage," directed by Foo Fighters
lead singer Dave Grohl.
"We basically have one new exclusive original in the reality
space and unscripted space every month," Mr. Bakish said in May on
an earnings call.
With the future WarnerMedia-Discovery media giant spending $20
billion each year on content, and Netflix and Disney both stepping
up their commitment to produce more unscripted series and
documentaries, the amount of capital flowing into nonfiction
content has reached unprecedented levels, said Lance Klein, head of
unscripted content at the Hollywood talent agency William Morris
Endeavor, who represents one of the biggest reality stars in the
world in Kim Kardashian.
Hollywood movie stars such as Will Smith, Amy Schumer and Chris
Hemsworth have also got in on the act, and are making high-profile
nonfiction projects for companies including YouTube, HBO Max and
Disney, respectively.
"The biggest movie stars are in the unscripted business, and
that's something that rarely happened seven, eight, nine years
ago," Mr. Klein said.
Unscripted shows don't feature actors playing people other than
themselves. They can include baking, survival and singing
competitions, silly or creepy reality series, murder mystery and
socially minded docuseries, plus the traditional informative
documentaries. Reality TV can cost a fraction of what it takes to
produce scripted content, so popular unscripted shows often
generate profits that can exceed those of scripted series. During
the past decade, network television has also begun airing more
unscripted content during prime time because of the elevated profit
potential, according to several agents and producers.
Netflix says its dating shows, such as "Love is Blind," have
been among the platform's most successful series, attracting tens
of millions of views. And for years, the streaming service has done
well with docuseries like "Making a Murderer" and last year's
wildly popular "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," a show
about a flamboyant zoo owner viewed by more than 60 million
subscribers, according to Netflix.
The popularity of docuseries has translated into bigger paydays
for filmmakers, according to Geoff Suddleson, co-head of unscripted
TV for United Talent Agency, adding that demand for unscripted
programs is growing. The money being spent on high-profile
docuseries has doubled in recent years, he said. "It's not uncommon
to see some of these series commanding close to seven figures per
episode."
Netflix has also attained critical acclaim in unscripted. The
company won the Oscar for best documentary feature two years
running, first with "American Factory," produced by the Obamas'
company Higher Ground Productions, and then in April it won for "My
Octopus Teacher," an intimate tale of a cinematographer who
develops a bond with a baby octopus.
"Over the last 10 years the significance of nonfiction has grown
a lot" with the explosive growth of streaming platforms like
Netflix, said Ellen Windemuth, a producer churning out what she
calls "real stories" for more than 25 years. Ms. Windemuth, who
helped produce "My Octopus Teacher," believes streaming services
now have a better understanding of how popular unscripted content
can be but also the benefit of assuming less risk.
"For every 'The Crown,' you've got how many failures?" she said.
"Netflix, Apple, Disney have discovered that nonfiction has a very
faithful audience."
Streaming services aren't the only ones eager to reap the cost
benefits of making unscripted shows. Through his production
company, "Men in Black" star Mr. Smith's Westbrook Media is
producing a fitness series for YouTube called "Best Shape of My
Life," due out next year. Westbrook is also producing another
YouTube show with musical star Alicia Keys called "Noted."
When unscripted producer Brent Montgomery was coming up in
entertainment he remembers being told by a mentor that in Hollywood
"quality, award-winning scripted television can get you a
reservation, but unscripted can buy you the land underneath the
restaurant."
Based largely on the success of producing the reality show "Pawn
Stars," Mr. Montgomery sold his company Leftfield Entertainment for
$360 million in 2014.
Now as chief executive of Wheelhouse Entertainment, Mr.
Montgomery is producing the Disney+ docuseries "Becoming" with
basketball icon LeBron James while also working with Netflix to
attract more Generation Z consumers. That age group often prefers
watching YouTube and TikTok versus the scripted content available
on TV or streaming platforms.
Mr. Montgomery is producing a reality series for Netflix called
"The Hype House," a show chronicling several popular TikTok
creators while they live together under one roof. He is betting
that Gen Zers' interest in social media will drive viewership of
unscripted content on streaming services.
"There's reality, and there's documentary, and the appetite for
both of those combined is growing because this is what the kids who
are coming of age grew up on. They didn't grow up on television,"
he said. "I think the stories that they are used to seeing and
really wanting to devour are authentic, real person stories."
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 30, 2021 08:14 ET (12:14 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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