NBC is betting big that viewers will tune in live for Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men.”
The upcoming project is the latest in the network’s revival of its live television event programming which started with 2013’s “Sound of Music Live,” and drew 18.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
But banking on viewers returning for “A Few Good Men,” which will be adapted by Sorkin from his original play and not the Oscar-nominated film, is risky because more than half of all consumers, and three quarters of millennials, watch movies and TV shows via streaming on at least a monthly basis, according Deloitte’s latest “Digital Democracy” survey.
“The proliferation of online content shows no signs of slowing down and the consumer appetite to consume content is equally voracious,” said Gerald Belson, vice chairman of Deloitte Consulting LLP. “The survey data indicates that consumers are more willing than ever to invest in services to watch whenever, wherever and on whatever device they choose.”
For advertisers – and for the network – the challenge is capitalizing on the value of live events on social media. Deloitte’s survey reported that 71 percent of millennials aged 19-25 are influenced more by social media and online reviews in buying decisions than by TV ads.
That’s good news for NBC. The network’s “The Wiz Live” became the most-tweeted live special program in Nielsen history in December, topping both “Sound of Music Live” and “Peter Pan Live” combined in total tweets.
“A Few Good Men” is set to be broadcast in 2017.