This chart shows the staggering amount of new TV made in 2016
Marvel at the 455 scripted shows that made their way on US television in 2016
Westworld. Game of Thrones. Stranger Things. The Walking Dead. The People vs O.J. Simpson. Luke Cage. While you might have enjoyed British dramas like Victoria or Poldark, the amount of television coming from across the pond feels unprecedented.
New statistics confirm that 2016 saw more US television being made than ever before. Research for American cable channel FX revealed that this year saw a record 455 scripted original series shown across broadcast, cable, and streaming services like Netflix. That’s an 8 per cent increase in shows since last year.
Even more remarkable, the amount of scripted shows on TV have increased by 137 per cent since 2006.
FX CEO John Landgraf said earlier that the States might be on their way to “peak TV”, warning that we're getting to the point where there is simply too much TV for people to consume.
However, the graph below suggests that the TV industry shows no signs of slowing.
However – and this is an important point – these numbers only takes into account scripted shows.
We might not be at “peak TV” yet, we’re just watching a lot more US dramas and less British reality TV (we’re looking at you, Big Brother). And thinking about next year’s upcoming seasons of Game of Thrones and Stranger Things, this isn’t a bad thing at all.
Authors
Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.