Saturday, March 19, 2011

Channel Drift: Who Does It Well ... and Who Doesn't

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'Breaking Bad'Three years ago, my very funny colleague Jay Black penned a TV101 essay about the phenomenon of "channel drift." That's when a cable channel drifts away from either its original format or it keeps drifting from format to format. Usually you see channel drift when a channel keeps its name (like AMC) but not the format that gave it its name (classic movies).

But just because a channel drifts from its original raison d'être doesn't mean that it's making a horrible mistake. There are so many cable channels out there, along with online, mobile, and other viewing options, that a cable channel needs to change to survive. But they also need to keep the brand that they've built up over the decades.

So experimentation and change are pretty much a part of what most cable channels do. But some are doing it better than others. Here's a list of cable channels that have done a good job breaking away from their old formats, and channels that are fumbling the ball. I'll also mention shows that have survived the various changes, and if they're helping or hurting the current format.

 

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Ashley Greene April Scott Mia Kirshner Elisabeth Röhm Lily Allen

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