Court TV Adjourned: Net Becomes truTV New Year's Day
With traditional trial coverage sequestered to an “In Session” weekday programming block (9am-3pm) starting Jan 1, truTV is ready with fresh content aimed at satisfying and attracting “real engagers” between the ages of 35-45. This demo skews slightly male and desires 1st-person access to real-life programming, says Turner, which vehemently asserts that truTV’s success will stem from satisfying the target group through content atypical to the ubiquitous reality genre. “They want access to things they wouldn’t normally see and seek voyeurism into high-stakes, dynamic worlds,” said net evp/GM Marc Juris. “truTV offers a different kind of reality: very real, credible and not invented for the sake of TV.” Spots for truTV appearing in nationwide movie theaters (and viewable at TruTV.com) perpetuate the latter point by calling out the alleged contrived thrusts of certain reality TV franchises. “This is about uniqueness of execution,” said Juris. “We will offer everything from action to investigation, with a focus on conflict and conflict resolution.” Set to argue the erstwhile law-focused net’s case—and slated for interspersion with holdovers such as “Forensic Files” and “Ocean Force”—are new series including “Black Gold” and “Neighbors 911.” The former follows oil prospectors in TX and is from Thom Beers, an exec prod of Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch,” while the latter features a former Green Beret mediating neighbors’ escalating feuds. Advertisers and viewers alike have warmly received the net’s change in focus, said Juris, who is quick to note that the change wasn’t necessitated by flagging viewership. In fact, Turner’s extrapolation of Nielsen data shows audience increases for Court TV among the 18-49 demo in each of the last 8 Qs. “This is an evolution,” said Juris. And a new reality for the net.