Original programming

Last updated

Original programming (also called originals or original programs, and subcategorized as "original series", "original movies", "original documentaries" and "original specials") is a term used for in-house television, film or web series productions to which the exclusive domestic and, if the originating service operates non-domestic versions of the service outside of their home country, international broadcast rights are held by traditional and over-the-top content providers. The term was coined by HBO in 1983 when the premium service began producing its slate of in-house series and film productions. HBO initially branded the original series on the network under "HBOriginal" until 1986, and by 1993, the "originals" term had expanded to encompass most of its original productions. The term eventually expanded into use by various cable-originated television networks (including, among others, Disney Channel, TNT and USA Network) to identify their in-house productions. It also advertises them as being distinct from the acquired content offered to fill out the remainder of their programming schedule.

Most original made-for-cable or made-for-streaming productions are produced solely in conjunction with independent production companies that also hold day-to-day management responsibilities for the program, although some series (such as The Larry Sanders Show , Queer as Folk , The Leftovers and Power ) share financial interests with major television studios—such as 20th Television, Warner Bros. Television and Lionsgate Television—that may also handle distribution responsibilities for domestic and international syndication on behalf of the originating network. Television networks and digital content providers that produce original programming include Cinemax, [1] Netflix, [2] Showtime, [3] Amazon Prime, [4] and YouTube. [5] In October 2020, CBS became the first U.S. broadcast network to identify all of its entertainment programming under the term, branding them as "CBS Originals"; however, the network uses the "original" term for both series produced by sister production company CBS Studios and series produced by third-party production companies. (ABC had previously marketed the 2016 miniseries Madoff and the 2019 made-for-TV movie Same Time, Next Christmas as "ABC Originals".) [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Showtime (TV network)</span> American pay television network

Showtime is an American premium television network owned by Paramount Media Networks, and is the flagship property of the namesake parent company, Showtime Networks, a part of Paramount Media Networks. Showtime's programming includes theatrically released motion pictures, original television series; boxing and mixed martial arts matches; occasional stand-up comedy specials, and made-for-TV movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinemax</span> American movie-focused pay television network

Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent network Home Box Office (HBO) and initially focusing on recent and classic films upon its launch on August 1, 1980, programming featured on Cinemax currently consists primarily of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, and original action series, as well as documentaries and special behind-the-scenes featurettes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flix (TV network)</span> American movie-oriented pay television network

Flix is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Showtime Networks, a subsidiary of Paramount Global operated through its Paramount Media Networks division. Its programming consists solely of theatrically released motion pictures released from the 1970s to the present day, interspersed with some films from the 1950s and 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Movie Channel</span> American movie-oriented pay television network

The Movie Channel (TMC) is an American premium television network owned by Showtime Networks, a subsidiary of Paramount Global operated through its Paramount Media Networks division. The network's programming mainly features first-run theatrically released and independently produced motion pictures, and during promotional breaks between films, special behind-the-scenes features and movie trivia.

Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial, and streaming television. In the United States, subscription television began in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the form of encrypted analog over-the-air broadcast television which could be decrypted with special equipment. The concept rapidly expanded through the multi-channel transition and into the post-network era. Other parts of the world beyond the United States, such as France and Latin America have also offered encrypted analog terrestrial signals available for subscription.

Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as television shows and films, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable television, and/or satellite television systems.

Crave is a Canadian premium television network and streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Showtime Networks</span> American entertainment company

Showtime Networks Inc. is an American entertainment company that oversees the company's premium cable television channels, including its flagship service Showtime. It is a subsidiary of media conglomerate Paramount Global under its networks division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HBO</span> American pay television network

Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based at Warner Bros. Discovery's corporate headquarters inside 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan's West Side district. Programming featured on the network consists primarily of theatrically released motion pictures and original television programs as well as made-for-cable movies, documentaries, occasional comedy and concert specials, and periodic interstitial programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotlight (TV channel)</span> American premium movie channel

Spotlight was an American premium cable television network that was founded by the Times Mirror Satellite Programming Company unit of the Times Mirror Company, and owned as a joint venture with Storer Communications, Cox Cable and Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI). The channel's programming focused mainly on theatrically released motion pictures, with the only scheduling deviation being of monthly specials previewing films set to air on the channel.

A free preview is a stunt programming concept in which a pay television service or channel tier is exhibited without signal encryption to customers of a multichannel television provider at no cost for an extended time period.

Starz is a Canadian English language premium television network owned by Bell Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HBO (Canadian TV channel)</span> Canadian premium TV network

HBO is a Canadian premium television network from Crave, which is owned by Bell Media. The channel is primarily devoted to original programming and special events sourced from the HBO and Cinemax subscription services in the United States, as well as domestic motion pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home Box Office, Inc.</span> American mass media company owned by Warner Bros. Discovery

Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) is an American multinational media and entertainment company operating as a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MGM+</span> American pay television network

MGM+, formerly known as Epix, is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the MGMPlus Entertainment subsidiary of MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), which is itself a subsidiary of Amazon's MGM Holdings, Inc. The channel's programming consists of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, original television series, documentaries, and music and comedy specials.

HBO Go is a partly-inactive authenticated video on demand of the pay television service HBO. The service allowed subscribers to HBO via television providers to access its programming on-demand via the HBO website, mobile apps, and digital media players among other devices.

Crave is a Canadian subscription video on demand service owned by Bell Media. The service competes directly with other subscription-based over-the-top streaming services operating in Canada, primarily against American-based services.

HBO Now was an American subscription video on demand streaming service for premium television network HBO owned by WarnerMedia subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc. Officially unveiled on March 9 and launched on April 7, 2015 the service allows subscribers on-demand access to HBO's library of original programs, films and other content on personal computers, smartphones, tablet devices and digital media players. Unlike HBO Go, HBO's online video on demand service for existing subscribers of the linear television channel, HBO Now was available as a standalone service and does not require a television subscription to use, targeting cord cutters who use competing services such as Netflix and Hulu. As of February 2018, HBO Now had 5 million subscribers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of HBO</span> History of the U.S. pay television network

Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network that is the flagship property of Home Box Office, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts theatrically released motion pictures and original television programs as well as made-for-cable movies, documentaries, occasional stand-up comedy and concert specials, and periodic interstitial programs. HBO does not accept traditional advertising, although programming promotions are typically aired between shows; it also presents content without editing for profanity, violence, sexual depictions, nudity, drug use or other subjectively objectionable material, which—besides being able to depict mature subject matter usually not allowed to air on advertiser-supported television networks—has allowed the network to give program creators full creative autonomy over their projects.

References

  1. ↑ "Cinemax Original Series: View All :Cinemax Official Site". Cinemax. New York, U.S. Archived from the original on 2020-03-29. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  2. ↑ "Netflix Originals". www.netflix.com. California, U.S.: Netflix. Archived from the original on 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  3. ↑ "SHOWTIME Original Series & TV Shows :SHOWTIME". SHO.com. United States: Showtime. Archived from the original on 2020-01-31. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  4. ↑ "prime video". www.amazon.com. Amazon Prime. Archived from the original on 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  5. ↑ "YouTube Originals free to watch starting next month". The Times of India . India. Archived from the original on 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  6. ↑ Alex Weprin (October 8, 2020). "CBS Refreshes Brand Identity". The Hollywood Reporter. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.