Some 495 television series have aired new episodes in 2018 in the United States, with online video platforms coming to the top for the first time, according to data reported by FX Networks Research.
The number of series up 129% since 2010. The increase in the number of series tends to slow down and reached only 1.6% compared to 2017, against 7% the previous year and 7.8% in 2016 Since 2010, the number of active series (which launch or continue to broadcast new episodes) jumped 129%, according to the data of the study service of the cable channel FX, which now belongs to the Disney group.
For the first time, online video platforms are the main producers of content, with 160 series against 146 for the major American hertzian channels (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox), and 144 for cable. In six years, the number of series produced by streaming services has increased more than tenfold (from 15 to 160), as a result of the development of Netflix, but also Amazon and Hulu. The dominance of video-on-demand platforms is set to continue in 2019 with the launch of services from Apple, Disney and WarnerMedia, each of which has exclusive rights to a significant number of programs.
Progression of optional channels. Another trend, less burdensome, is the strengthening of the option chains, mainly HBO and Showtime, whose number of series continues to grow each year (45 in 2018). When the FX Networks Research study was launched in 2002, the series supply was one-third of what it is today (182 vs. 495), and three quarters of production was provided by major US channels. .