Why NBCUniversal Is Holding On to Bravo as It Spins Off the Rest of Its Cable Nets

As a long-time movie buff who has witnessed the ebb and flow of cable networks over the decades, I can confidently say that Bravo’s resilience and transformation is nothing short of extraordinary. When NBC bought Bravo back in 2002, it was seen as a mere novelty acquisition, a small arts-focused network with little potential. Little did we know that this underdog would evolve into a cable powerhouse, pulling its weight with original fare that even the mighty USA Network can’t seem to muster these days.

In the year 2002, NBC acquired Bravo, transforming the niche arts-centric network into its initial entertainment cable channel. By the year 2025, Bravo, significantly evolved from its early days, is set to stand alone as NBC’s sole cable television entity.

Instead of largely separating most cable networks like USA, MSNBC, CNBC, E!, Oxygen, Syfy, and Golf Channel from Comcast into a standalone entity, it’s notable that they have chosen to retain Bravo within the same company as NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo.

So why Bravo? Quite simply, in a world of zombie cable networks, Bravo is one of the few channels still pulling its weight with original fare. Bravo’s lineup has helped fuel Peacock with megahits like “Vanderpump Rules,” which gave the network its most-watched episode of all time last year with part 1 of its Season 10 reunion.

This year, “The Valley” has provided Bravo with some of its top premiere ratings in at least a decade. Additionally, we can’t forget about the long-running “Real Housewives” series, “Below Deck” and its offshoots, as well as all the productions by Andy Cohen.

Based on insights from NBCU sources, it’s evident that day-after content from NBC and Bravo plays a significant role in attracting a large portion of viewers to the Peacock streaming platform. This isn’t as much the case with other cable networks.

It was evident all along that NBCU might retain Bravo while getting rid of the rest: Peacock offers platforms for its exclusive content, as well as for NBC, Telemundo, and Bravo. (It’s also worth mentioning MSNBC, though it remains unclear how that will unfold.) However, it doesn’t include platforms for USA, E! or Syfy.

USA Network, once a dominant force in original programming during the 2000s with successful series such as “Monk,” “Suits,” “White Collar,” and “Mr. Robot,” now primarily airs off-network shows, movie collections, and NBC Sports broadcasting. Similarly, networks like Syfy and E! have significantly reduced their original content offerings.

At NBCUniversal, the programming team primarily dedicates a significant portion of their work to projects involving NBC, Peacock, and Bravo. For instance, Corie Henson, the executive vice president for unscripted content, competition, and gameshows, manages projects such as “The Voice” on NBC, “Baking It” on Peacock, and “Top Chef” on Bravo. Similarly, Rachel Smith, who oversees lifestyle and documentary programming, is responsible for shows like “Real Housewives,” “Below Deck” on Bravo, as well as major documentaries like “Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies” on Peacock.

Moreover, we have Frances Berwick, NBCUniversal Entertainment chairman, who manages content, strategic planning, and business operations for NBC and its cable entertainment channels. She now reports directly to Donna Langley, the NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios chairman. Berwick played a significant role in Bravo’s transformation since she started with the network in 1996. Under her leadership, Bravo underwent changes, starting with “Inside the Actors Studio,” followed by “Queer Eye,” “Project Runway,” “Top Chef,” and eventually its Bravolebrity formats. Bravo is one of the few cable networks that boasts a passionate, dedicated fanbase; there’s no USACon, but there certainly is a BravoCon.

Back in the day, around two decades ago, if you’d told me that underdog channel Bravo would be one of the Last Cable Brands Standing, I’d have raised an eyebrow or two. To many industry insiders, NBC acquiring it from Cablevision for $1.25 billion in late 2002 seemed more like a quirky purchase than a strategic move.

Previously, NBC (then owned by General Electric) had only delved into cable television at the turn of the millennium with networks like MSNBC (formerly known as America’s Talking) and CNBC, along with investments in A&E and History Channel. The thought of NBC acquiring Bravo was generally viewed as a strategy to reuse its shows on a smaller channel that, while it did host “Inside the Actors Studio” and had recently obtained reruns of “The West Wing,” primarily showcased art-focused content.

During that period, I was sharing the news that “Bob Wright, chairman and CEO of NBC, expressed his intention to maintain Bravo’s high-end artsy programming schedule, and even amplify it by commissioning more documentaries and entertainment content from NBC’s in-house production team and external providers.

Unaware of what lay ahead, Bravo was only starting out as a small brand. However, this marked the beginning of a new era in cable television dominance. A year later, Vivendi Universal sold its film and TV properties to GE, which subsequently formed NBCUniversal. This move gave them USA Network and Syfy, among others. In 2009, Comcast took control over NBCU, thereby incorporating networks like E! into their empire. For over a decade, the extensive cable portfolio of NBCUniversal continued its successful run. However, the advent of streaming services disrupted the industry and effectively ended the golden era of cable television.

In other words, Bravo marked the beginning of NBC’s era on cable TV, and now it stands as one of the remaining remnants of that time in this changing world order.

(Pictured above: Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County”)

2024-11-20 21:21

Why NBCUniversal Is Holding On to Bravo as It Spins Off the Rest of Its Cable Nets

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