Prime time isn't as prime as it used to be.
NBC Universal's announcement Thursday that it will restructure to save $750 million over two years marks a retreat in prime time, the lucrative three-hour programming block from 8 to 11 p.m. that has long been the petri dish for U.S. pop culture.
Instead of using the 8 p.m. time slot to showcase its most popular scripted shows -- such as "The Cosby Show" in the 1980s and "Friends" in the 1990s -- the NBC network will fill the hour with game shows and other lower-cost fare.
As the cost of new scripted shows has soared, viewers this season have not been impressed with the new offerings. Networks have been disappointed with the results, particularly with several shows that premiered at 8 p.m.
"The audience just isn't there," Bob Wright, chairman of NBC Universal, said in an interview. "We have some of our best stuff at 8 o'clock, and it's struggling."
Wright said NBC's game show "Deal or No Deal," CBS' durable "Survivor" and ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" have built solid followings at 8 p.m. And most reality or game shows like those are a fraction of the cost of scripted programs.
Doing away with scripted programming at 8 p.m. would deal a blow to the thousands of actors, writers, producers and talent agents who have long enjoyed the fat paychecks that come from feeding the broadcast networks' voracious appetite for new dramas and sitcoms.
NBC's shift means the network probably will spend millions less next spring when ordering pilot episodes for the fall season. The network has fewer holes to fill at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. because those slots are primarily occupied by proven shows.
Broadcasters have been gradually scaling back the number of hours they program with expensive shows. Saturday has become a night of reruns. NBC rival Fox has dominated in the ratings by filling only two prime-time hours on most nights.
Prominent Hollywood producers said NBC's move was not all that surprising.
"You're seeing this season a lot of expensive shows failing right out of the gate. And that's money they're not going to get back," said Greg Garcia, creator of "My Name Is Earl," an NBC comedy.
David Nevins, president of Imagine Television, which produces "Friday Night Lights" for NBC, said, "I'll take a little less shelf space for more focus. For a network, launching too many shows at once tends to kill off all of your ducklings."
