After a weekend of high-profile, television-themed news coming out of the Comic-Con International convention in San Diego, the Television Critics Association picks up the baton beginning today in Beverly Hills, Calif., with two weeks worth of big television news and developments.
Comic-Con over the years has seen its influence within the television industry expand significantly. Once considered a must-attend show for networks with comic book or sci-fi themed shows, this past convention saw numerous cable and broadcast networks offer the nearly 150,000 attendees a look at their upcoming programming.
Several networks used last weekend’s Comic-Con event to announce the final seasons for marquee TV shows, including MTV’s Teen Wolf, CW’s Vampire Diaries and A&E’s Bates Motel -- all to heartbroken fans -- and as a launch pad for exciting new show trailers.
The TCA Summer Tour provides the networks with the opportunity to engage with both the industry and viewers about their big programming plans as more than 200 TV journalists and bloggers assemble at the Beverly Hilton.
With more than 400 scripted series and more than twice as many reality shows airing on broadcast, cable and online, network executives say getting the message out about a new show or discussing a character or plot change in a veteran series has become more difficult amid the noisy din of on-air commercials and social media chatter.
The summer boob-tube news tour continues in earnest today at TCA with a full day of Netflix presentations, and PBS and the cable and broadcast networks on deck.
