AHC: Have The WB or UPN succeed in their quest to become "The Fifth Network"

[Deleted member 177304]

The WB and UPN (United Paramount Network) were both American television networks launched within weeks of each other in 1995. Both were backed by major movie studios (Warner Brothers in The WB's case, obviously, and Paramount in UPN's case, also obviously) and both had the goal of becoming the "Fifth Network" after NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox. Needless to say this goal would ultimately fail and both networks would merge to form the CW in 2006. So your challenge, should you chose to accept it, is to imagine a timeline where either the WB or UPN succeeded in becoming the "Fifth Network".

 

[dsp19]

The WB and UPN (United Paramount Network) were both American television networks launched within weeks of each other in 1995. Both were backed by major movie studios (Warner Brothers in The WB's case, obviously, and Paramount in UPN's case, also obviously) and both had the goal of becoming the "Fifth Network" after NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox. Needless to say this goal would ultimately fail and both networks would merge to form the CW in 2006. So your challenge, should you chose to accept it, is to imagine a timeline where either the WB or UPN succeeded in becoming the "Fifth Network".

In my TL Paramount actually becomes the 4th TV network in 1980, before Fox. Paramount wanted to start a TV network around Star Trek Phase II in 1977 but they were unable to follow through. The world would be quite a bit different if Paramount made a network before Fox.

It's really hard to have a successful, sustained run for a Paramount Network or a WB Network in the mid 1990s because cable rules the roost by then. Their ratings would never match expectations. If one of them creates a network BEFORE Fox (and before the cable boom), then you have a shot at success

 

[Otakuninja2006]

Have Warner Bros. put some actual effort in and don't be dumb.

 

[dsp19]

Have Warner Bros. put some actual effort in and don't be dumb.

If one of them somehow makes a partnership with Disney before ABC, that is the only way I think a fifth network succeeds with Fox as the fourth network. I did that in my TL with a Paramount/Disney merge when Paramount was still owned by Gulf+Western (who could basically purchase any company it wanted due to its wealth)

 

[Nivek]

Without Sports any OTA channel is just filler, especially before the DTV and the OTA revolution and even them the true money of the network come from cable fees

You need WB to stole part of the NFL too from the other four network

 

[dsp19]

Without Sports any OTA channel is just filler, especially before the DTV and the OTA revolution and even them the true money of the network come from cable fees

You need WB to stole part of the NFL too from the other four network

A broadcast network needs either the NFL, MLB or the NBA in the era mentioned. In my TL Paramount outbids NBC for baseball and the Olympics and creates a partnership with a young ESPN

 

[Nivek]

A broadcast network needs either the NFL, MLB or the NBA in the era mentioned. In my TL Paramount outbids NBC for baseball and the Olympics and creates a partnership with a young ESPN

in a few words, you create OTL ABC with Viacom/Paramount and Disney... NOT bad i could imagine that would have been Bludhorn next move if wasn't by his untimely early death

 

[dsp19]

in a few words, you create OTL ABC with Viacom/Paramount and Disney... NOT bad i could imagine that would have been Bludhorn next move if wasn't by his untimely early death

There was interest in a hostile takeover of Disney among some Wall Street bigwigs in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Saul Steinberg (a Wall Street hedge fund manager) almost bought Disney in 1984. Disney wasn’t the juggernaut in the late 1970s that it is now, especially their movie division. So in my TL Bluhdorn takes over Disney’s TV and movie division and Disney keeps its theme parks.

IRL Bluhdorn was more focused on Paramount Pictures but in my story Barry Diller convinces Bluhdorn that Paramount can make a 4th network if they take part of Disney over

 

[GJohn902]

A broadcast network needs either the NFL, MLB or the NBA in the era mentioned. In my TL Paramount outbids NBC for baseball and the Olympics and creates a partnership with a young ESPN

Baseball was in a rough patch with regards to broadcast rights by the mid 1990s due to some bad/poorly executed deals, so if either UPN or the WB were aggressive enough and (importantly, IMO) promised MLB a Primetime Game of the Week (similar to Monday Night Football for the NFL), they could almost certainly get some of the broadcast rights.

It should be noted that sports would not be unfamiliar territory for many major market UPN and WB stations, as they often used to air local sports before the teams moved those games to cable starting in the late 1990s

 

[Deleted member 177304]

IIRC The WB was outbid by Fox for the broadcasting rights to one of the major sports leagues (MLB?). Perhaps in an ATL WB outbids Fox?

 

[Nivek]

There was interest in a hostile takeover of Disney among some Wall Street bigwigs in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Saul Steinberg (a Wall Street hedge fund manager) almost bought Disney in 1984. Disney wasn’t the juggernaut in the late 1970s that it is now, especially their movie division. So in my TL Bluhdorn takes over Disney’s TV and movie division and Disney keeps its theme parks.

IRL Bluhdorn was more focused on Paramount Pictures but in my story Barry Diller convinces Bluhdorn that Paramount can make a 4th network if they take part of Disney over

Yeah but I mean in concept, we get the similar moves post-renaissance Disney did but now 20 years early and under Bludhorn. Meaning Bludhorn got two main movie studios and enough content for a network as you mentioned

 

[Hugh Third of Five]

It's really hard to have a successful, sustained run for a Paramount Network or a WB Network in the mid 1990s because cable rules the roost by then. Their ratings would never match expectations. If one of them creates a network BEFORE Fox (and before the cable boom), then you have a shot at success

WB had the Pokemon anime, and Paramount owned Star Trek. They absolutely could have popular shows because they had them in OTL.

I don't think WB or UPN ever got into news beyond the local level. I would say having national news and sports broadcasting would be a big help. I second those calling for them to get Major League Baseball.

 

[Deleted member 177304]

Baseball was in a rough patch with regards to broadcast rights by the mid 1990s due to some bad/poorly executed deals, so if either UPN or the WB were aggressive enough and (importantly, IMO) promised MLB a Primetime Game of the Week (similar to Monday Night Football for the NFL), they could almost certainly get some of the broadcast rights.

It should be noted that sports would not be unfamiliar territory for many major market UPN and WB stations, as they often used to air local sports before the teams moved those games to cable starting in the late 1990s

Yeah, I'm no network executive, but sports broadcasting seems to be an essential when it comes to running a successful network. FWIW I'm personally leaning towards the WB as the more plausible candidate for fifth network status, since they seemed to have had more successful programming while UPN was overly-reliant on Star Trek and Moesha

 

[Deleted member 177304]

WB had the Pokemon anime, and Paramount owned Star Trek. They absolutely could have popular shows because they had them in OTL.

I don't think WB or UPN ever got into news beyond the local level. I would say having national news and sports broadcasting would be a big help. I second those calling for them to get Major League Baseball.

As for news broadcasting, The WB would be under the same corporate roof as CNN. Maybe CNN could be simulcast during the traditional news hours. UPN is a little trickier since the Viacom-CBS merger wouldn't happen until 1999, and even then it wouldn't make much sense to have CBS News simulcast on two competing networks.

 

[leap123]

Well here's my ideas for this:
- Have Viacom not merge with CBS
- Have UPN accept the Malcom in the Middle and American Idol pitch to boost viewership
- Have The WB still merge with UPN (The WB does worse in the 2000s than UPN in my timeline) but keep the UPN name instead of renaming to The CW (since Viacom-CBS merger didn't happen which mean the Viacom-CBS split didn't happen, plus the name "The PW" would be much weirder than just outright UPN or The WB)

 

[Nivek]

Well here's my ideas for this:
- Have Viacom not merge with CBS
- Have UPN accept the Malcom in the Middle and American Idol pitch to boost viewership
- Have The WB still merge with UPN (The WB does worse in the 2000s than UPN in my timeline) but keep the UPN name instead of renaming to The CW (since Viacom-CBS merger didn't happen which mean the Viacom-CBS split didn't happen, plus the name "The PW" would be much weirder than just outright UPN or The WB)

That's a great start but as said before you still needs sports programming to be a real network

 

[leap123]

I probably would have MLB and NHL air on UPN and The WB respectively

 

[Dude-a-Buck]

There was interest in a hostile takeover of Disney among some Wall Street bigwigs in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Saul Steinberg (a Wall Street hedge fund manager) almost bought Disney in 1984. Disney wasn’t the juggernaut in the late 1970s that it is now, especially their movie division. So in my TL Bluhdorn takes over Disney’s TV and movie division and Disney keeps its theme parks.

IRL Bluhdorn was more focused on Paramount Pictures but in my story Barry Diller convinces Bluhdorn that Paramount can make a 4th network if they take part of Disney over

Is this an actual story or are you just thinking aloud?

 

[dsp19]

Is this an actual story or are you just thinking aloud?

Actual story (the Steinberg part). Part 2 of a 5 video series

 

[dsp19]

Also, Gulf+Western was the most prolific corporate raider/conglomerate from 1966 until Bluhdorn's death (1983) that it was more surprising that he didn't try to take over Disney. They took over industries in pretty much every other economic sector. The only thing that really stopped G+W from eating more companies whole were a couple of SEC investigations into them in the 1970s