Anyone who wants to watch Hollywood blockbusters on linear television has hitherto come to the right place at ProSieben. From now on, however, this will only be possible to a much lesser extent. The station has changed its primetime design significantly.
Sunday evening is actually the big cinema time at ProSieben. The broadcaster is known for never missing out on major TV premieres of American blockbusters. Whether “Fantastic Animal Beings”, “Avengers” or the new Tarantino film – on German linear television, all of these films were first shown on ProSieben, at prime time 8:15 p.m. on Sunday evening. But that is over now! ProSieben has announced some changes in the past few weeks and will finally implement them on September 4, 2022.
No more blockbusters at ProSieben
Sunday is considered one of the most important days in television and prime time is so named because that is exactly what it is – the best time for films, shows and series. It is not for nothing that the German television institution “Tatort” has been running on this slot for decades in the first. The station has now completely repositioned itself within this important period of time.
ProSieben boss Daniel Rosemann said in the DWDL interview: “We are parting with the blockbuster on Sunday evening on ProSieben. ProSieben doesn’t do without Hollywood. US license will always have an important part in our grids. But on another primetime evening of the week we have to and want to do without feature films.” Hollywood content will not disappear completely from the station, but it will be placed much less well in the future.
On Sunday, September 4th, 2022, the time had come. The superhero film “Wonder Woman” with Gal Gadot ran in prime time and will probably be the last blockbuster on this slot for now. The end of a TV era is actually coming earlier than originally expected. Because only on September 18, two weeks later, does the original format “Local Hero” start. Next Sunday, September 11th, the blockbuster has to give way to the American football game; the New England Patriots play their season opener against their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins.
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ProSieben wants a new Sunday evening program
Mainly in-house productions are taking the place of the big Hollywood productions. These are primarily TV shows.
“We want to extend the weekend feeling in the new programme. It’s about formats that like to be a window on the world and serve the desire for adventure and escapism with fun and games. A great experience with traveling celebrities that I can witness from the comfort of my own home.”
Daniel Rosemann, DWDL
A total of 52 Sundays per year are available for this. Fiction, also from Germany, should play a much smaller role in the future, according to Rosemann. “Spreading in a single series or a film from time to time – that’s not a strategy. We have to be convinced that we can build a fiction spread in the program with different fabrics. We are a bit away from that at the moment.”
Sat.1 also adjusts the TV program at the weekend. All information can be found here.
These shows are intended to replace the blockbusters at ProSieben
As part of the “Screenforce Days”, ProSieben has already made specifics in advance. On the one hand, blockbusters on Sunday evenings will primarily be shown on the related station Sat.1. On the other hand, the first four self-produced shows that are to take their place have been determined.
“Country Duelle” is the provisional name of one of ProSieben’s announced projects. Celebrities should solve tasks during a live switch in four different countries. In the end, the audience decides the winner. Rosemann also talked about another project called Mission: Job Unknown. In this format, stars like Sven Hannawald and Mario Basler have to face a wide variety of jobs in distant countries, such as lifeguards. Another show called World Most Dangerous Roads is in the works. There, celebrity teams have to master the most dangerous roads in the world together.
In “Local Hero“, starting on September 18, 2022, celebrities, on the other hand, have to face exciting traditions and strange to bizarre customs. Choreographer Nikeata Thompson and journalist Jenke von Wilmsdorff have already been confirmed for the first episodes. The two face a lot of tasks in Mexico. In Scotland, on the other hand, the actor Edin Hasanovic will perform and Ken Duken against each other. According to ProSieben, “real” Highland Games are on the program there. In Thailand, on the other hand, moderator Verona Pooth and comedian Wigald Boning are at the start, in Japan the two ex-GNTM colleagues Thomas Hayo and Michael Michalsky are dealing with a samurai.
In addition to these new broadcaster projects, well-known programs such as “Who is stealing the show?” or “The duel around the world” will be continued. If necessary, ProSieben could also place these shows even more prominently on Sunday evenings during prime time. But why did the broadcaster decide to take this step?
These are the reasons for the change
In general, big titles no longer bring the good numbers they used to. In addition, the corona pandemic has significantly limited supplies from Hollywood. Since most films are shown on television about two years after they open in cinemas, this effect has shifted somewhat, but is now having a particularly strong impact. Rosemann says: “In the near future there will be no supply of new blockbusters that will satisfy us.”
The broadcaster boss also mentions the competition from streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Co. The big Hollywood productions in particular often appear on streaming platforms before the TV premiere. A large part of the target group does not have to wait for linear television to see these productions. If you stay with the example of “Avengers” from Marvel: The studio now belongs to Disney, so Disney + logically has access to new titles in the series well ahead of everyone else. Incidentally, it’s not just ProSieben that’s affected, the density of US blockbusters at prime time has also decreased significantly on RTL+.