NBC’s Greenblatt: Equal Drawbacks, Rewards with Live TV Events

November 7, 2014 · Posted in Uncategorized 

By Chris Tribbey

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Last year, NBC pulled in 18.5 million viewers for its live television special “The Sound of Music Live!” This year, the network is looking to top that, with the Dec. 4 airing of “Peter Pan Live!”

NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said that while the network was pleased with how “Sound of Music” went, they’ve taken what they learned from that experience, and applied it to their latest production.

“[‘Sound of Music’] worked because we hired the best who do Broadway musicals and we hired the best who do live TV,” he said Nov. 7, speaking at the inaugural Live TV: L.A. event.

One thing NBC is doing differently this year revolves around promotion of the event. The lesson learned from “Sound of Music” was that an entirely new approach is needed to hook viewers in advance. “One of the tricky things with live events … is you don’t have months to promote it,” Greenblatt said. There’s no finished product to tease with TV spots, so for “Peter Pan,” the network is running clips of rehearsals, and the promotional photo shoots of Christopher Walken dressed as Captain Hook.

Putting on a live event is tricky stuff in general, he added. It’s got to feel like something viewers simply can’t miss, or they won’t bother. “In order to get the viewers these days, you have to do something that feels like an event,” Greenblatt said. “It’s no longer good enough to put on a good show. People have to feel compelled to watch it.” Think Super Bowl. Think Olympics, he said.

NBC is looking to wade deeper into the live TV waters, considering a live TV sitcom and even a live movie based on “A Few Good Men.” Pulling either off perfectly would mean huge audiences, Greenblatt said.

“In this day and age, with so many things on, there’s no compelling reason to watch something when it’s [first] broadcast,” he added. Live events change that mentality. “Do you sit around with the kids in bed watching your DVR? There’s something about live, when everyone is watching together.”

The three-hour “Peter Pan” event comes from executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

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