
- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Tumblr
FX, whose president John Landgraf coined the “Peak TV” name for the explosion in scripted originals, has released new research to indicate that the growth is far from over.
A study released Wednesday by the basic cable network found that the number of scripted originals hit a record 455 in 2016, up from 421 in 2015. Of that tally, online services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon represent 93 series, with the streaming originals category growing 1,450 percent since 2011.
“Peak TV was once again far from peaky in 2016, with a record 455 scripted original series across broadcast, cable, and streaming sources,” said Julie Piepenkotter, executive vp research at FX Networks. “This estimate reps an 8 percent increase over just last year (421 in 2015) ? but an astonishing 71 percent increase over five years ago (266 in 2011) and 137 percent over a decade ago (192 in 2006).”
The study comes four months after Landgraf told reporters at TCA that the scripted surge is showing no signs of slowing down. His team predicted that the number of scripted originals is likely to reach 500 shows in 2017. During the same presentation, Landgraf accurately predicted that calendar year 2016 would reach 450.
Related Stories
Of the 2016 findings, the number of basic cable originals dipped (down seven), as did premium cable (off one) as well as broadcast (off five), while streaming exploded (from 46 to 93).

THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day