History Main / NetworkDecay

-->-- ''[[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Gravity Falls]] - "Northwest Mansion Mystery"''

Some channels, however, are not as wedded to their original concept as others. [[ExecutiveMeddling Meddling executives]] look at the {{demographics}} to whom their channel appeals and decide that, hey, since the people watching their SpeculativeFiction [[Creator/SciFiChannel channel]] are mostly 18-31 males, and ProfessionalWrestling is hot among that demographic, surely no one would mind if they started showing pro-wrestling!

-->-- ''[[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Gravity Falls]] - "Northwest Mansion Manor"''

Depending on the network and how the decay is carried out, [[TropesAreTools changing concepts can be either good or bad for the channel]]. If the Network Decay works out, it may expose the channel to thousands, if not millions of new viewers, who would normally never watch the network in the first place. Or perhaps the earlier direction just was not working out and the network made changes in order to get better and more profitable programming. Furthermore, there are several good shows floating around in DevelopmentHell that wouldn't stand a chance of getting picked up unless a network decides to spread its wings. If the decay doesn't work out, however, then it can create a BrokenBase among the channel's viewers, and can throw the network into a DorkAge. Even ''if'' the decay works, the expanded viewership would come for naught for the various programs now squeezed out of the network's scheduling - once again, pointing out that [[BaseBreaker good and bad can come of it, depending on the viewer]].

-->-- '''[[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls Gravity Falls]] - "Northwest Mansion Manor"''

Also called a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_drift Channel Drift]] on ThatOtherWiki.

-> Your name is Creator/CartoonNetwork,\\
so you expect to see,\\
nothing but [[AnimatedShows animation]] when [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin you flip CN on your TV]].\\
[[TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation But the times they are a-changing,]]\\
[[AnimationAgeGhetto so don’t get left behind,]]\\
because now [[LiveActionTV we’ve got real people]] and,\\
we’ve heard it [[BlatantLies blows your mind]].
-->-- '''Music/AndrewWK''', [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwlb2gGEk54 during a commercial for CN Real.]]

we’ve heard it blows your mind.

Some changes can be chalked up to the changing landscape of TV. As the number of channels goes up, networks re-align themselves to try and hold some of their market. That, or the parent companies who might own seven or more cable channels each shuffle stuff for "synergy" or to reduce redundancy. Competition with new media is prevalent as well -- classic reruns give way to DVD box sets (and the ''real'' killer, {{Netflix}} and similar streaming services), music-video channels give way to Website/YouTube and iPods, and info-dumping all-text channels give way to the data display in a digital cable box, smartphone apps (once again, the ''real'' killer) or some new-fangled webernet site. Other times, it's just shifting to whatever the network feels will attract the biggest audience -- [[MoneyDearBoy and the audience that lets them charge the most for ads]] (especially the lucrative young adult demographic, needless to say).

See MagazineDecay for the print equivalent. See also ArtifactTitle, TheyChangedItNowItSucks, ScrewedByTheNetwork, and AdoredByTheNetwork. PublicMediumIgnorance may be a cause for some of the listed networks. If it starts overlapping with politics, then it can cross over into StrawmanNewsMedia.

InUniverse lampshades and mockeries of this phenomenon. Also, fictional networks.

* MagazineDecay has its own page.

* NetworkDecay/TotalAbandonment \\
The channel, with the exception of perhaps a few shows, has long abandoned its original concept.
* NetworkDecay/{{Slipped}} \\
The channel still shows programming related to its original concept, although it is significantly showing programming not related to their genre in some way.

* NetworkDecay/NotableAversions \\
The channel has managed to avoid decay, either by working on a genre that is broad enough that it is unnecessary to decay, or that the executives feel that channel is good enough that they don’t need to. Of course obviously any channel that is not listed on this page would count as this, but we’ve listed a few (honorable) mentions.
* NetworkDecay/InfluencesOnOtherMedia \\
Instances of this phenomenon when it comes to related mediums (Radio, Magazines, Websites, etc).
** MagazineDecay has its own page.
* NetworkDecay/InUniverseExamples \\
InUniverse lampshades and mockeries of this phenomenon. Also, fictional networks.

[[caption-width-right:300:TLC goes from [[{{Paleoworld}} educational shows]] [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs about giant beasts]] to [[Series/HereComesHoneyBooBoo reality shows]] [[TakeThat about giant beasts.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:TLC goes from [[{{Paleoworld}} educational shows about giant beasts]] to [[Series/HereComesHoneyBooBoo reality shows]] [[TakeThat about giant beasts.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:TLC goes from [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs educational shows about giant beasts]] to [[Series/HereComesHoneyBooBoo reality shows]] [[TakeThat about giant beasts.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:300:TLC goes from [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs educational shows about giant beasts]] to [[Series/HereComesHoneyBoo Booreality shows]] [[TakeThat about giant beasts.]]]]

InUniverse lampshades and mockeries of this phenomenon.

[[quoteright:350:[[Creator/{{TLC}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thelearningchannelthenandnow_7602.png]]]]

[[Creator/{{TLC}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thelearningchannelthenandnow_7602.png

Known in TheOtherWiki as a "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_drift channel drift]]."

[[BlatantLies we’ve heard it blows your mind.]]

->"Er... is there anything on this cable package that actually does what the name says it's supposed to do??"
->"The Home and Garden Channel still does... but I hear they're shifting their focus to Mexican wrestling in three months."
-->-- ''Website/PlatypusComix'', [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/videos/toptwenty.html "MTV's Top 20 Videos of 1984"]]

[[quoteright:230:[[Creator/CartoonNetwork http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/logo_cnreal.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:230:[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwlb2gGEk54 "More than just cartoons"]] indeed...]]