Has the success of The Traitors changed the narrative about linear TV?
The programme started off in 2022 as an iPlayer success but scored relatively modest overnight ratings.
It seemed to back up the accepted narrative. On demand was the future – linear’s continuing decline was inevitable.
But something incredible happened during this series.
To begin with it looked as if the overnights would remain relatively modest. But they grew and grew to reach an average of 5.5m on Friday night.
It was not for lack of linear choice and competition either.
As The Traitors reached its conclusion on Friday, some 4m were watching live FA Cup action on ITV 1.
The Traitors became a new linear hit just when certain people were stating as fact that linear was doomed.
It would not have become a national talking point if it was only an on-demand success.
It became a success because people were chatting about it to their friends and colleagues. It was a shared collective experience. And that probably explains the gradual growth in the linear audience. At 9pm on Friday, people watched together and that was part of the enjoyment.
The success of The Traitors and Gladiators plus the impact of Mr Bates v The Post Office seems to have changed the mood music about linear.
Some journalists who seemed to think linear was a legacy for the poor and technophobes seemed to be caught out.
Interestingly as The Traitors came to a climax and the FA Cup excitement grew, a major new series dropped on Apple TV.
Heroes of the Skies tells the story of the US Air Force during the bombing campaign against Germany. It has been the subject of several newspaper and magazine articles and is a truly spectacular production.
Apple TV dropped the first two episodes on FrIday and will drop new ones each Friday for the rest of the series.
Sound familiar? It’s rather like linear scheduling. The series is dropping in weekly instalments and the Box Set is gradually building up.
On Apple TV though, it will struggle to make the impact with the public of a big BBC or ITV show no matter how successful it is critically and creatively.
Is there a lesson here for the BBC and ITV?
Stop routinely dropping major programmes first on the iPlayer and ITV X. The premiere should be on BBC One or ITV 1.
The Tourist is certainly a success but the overnight BBC One ratings are lacklustre.
In my view, soaps and regular series for mainstream audiences should only be dropped on iPlayer first in special circumstances – like the night when Silent Witness was displaced from its usual spot by unscheduled football.
There is no doubt some people prefer on-demand and the BBC has a duty to serve all audiences. These include younger people who have turned away from linear and on-demand is almost always the best way to get them.
Personally I love watching Question Time live on the iPlayer on Thursdays. But the vast majority of its viewers watch on BBC One at 10.40pm. If it were practical, wouldn’t it be great to do the programme live at that time?
Let’s keep one important fact in mind: the two main BBC channels and ITV 1 should be the equivalents of West End theatres and Leicester Square cinemas, the home of premieres and special events. They are not the modern equivalent of the video rental shop featuring films you could have seen at the cinema months ago.
As I have said before, it is worth questioning the motives of some of those who seem very keen to consign linear to the past.
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: The Traitors opening titles. COPYRIGHT: Studio Lambert.