One issue that cuts across most major cable networks, producers say, is the increasing flood of notes on shows and demands for multiple versions of episodes — all of which add to costs that usually come out of the producer’s pocket.

Producers emphasize that the development of new series can take months, if not years, and require significant up-front investment before a project is ever set up at a network. Companies often fund talent deals on their own, producing sizzle reels and accomplishing other pre-production work before the show is shopped to buyers. In the view of the NPA and PactUS, that activity amounts to an invaluable R&D service for networks. But producers of unscripted shows are rarely reimbursed for those costs — unlike major studios and networks under the generous terms for scripted series. The nightmare scenario for an unscripted producer is making that major investment, only to have the show taken away by the network after a season or two.

“The scary part for producers is that you can work really hard to develop this intellectual property, and the networks can arbitrarily take it away from you,” says the NPA’s Ford, a Discovery alum. “There’s a perception on the part of producers that it is becoming more likely to happen.”

Tags: Production, Broadcasting