FX President John Landgraf Warns Streaming Of Valuing Quantity Over Quality

What’s going to be the future of television? If there was ever a question that dominated the pop culture landscape in 2017, that would likely be it. As streaming services like Netflix and Hulu have become more popular than ever, many are wondering what the future of traditional television will be as well as which streaming service will come out on top. President of FX John Landgraf may not have all the answers to those questions, but he does have some ideas.

Every since he coined the oft-used phrase “Peak TV,” Landgraf has become a sort of unofficial expert on the wild west of television trends. Whereas other networks typically use their segments at TCA to highlight their season to season successes and discuss the projects they’re most excited about, Landgraf has often used his slot to explain the ever-growing landscape of television. In a recent guest column Landgraf penned for The Hollywood Reporter, the president expounded on what the future of television may look like, and his vision of the future isn’t particularly kind to Netflix or other Silicon Valley streaming services.

Though Landgraf acknowledged that Netflix has several high-quality originals and that the increase in television has worked to make television better than ever, he had some harsh criticisms of Wall Street’s valuation of the streaming service. According to the piece, Disney has an estimated total revenue of over $55 billion to Netflix’s $11.6 billion as well as an estimated net income of $9.1 billion to Netflix’s $561 million. However, Netflix’s stocks are currently priced at around $177 compared to Disney’s $99.90. “Currently, Wall Street is placing bets that platforms will own the future of everything, including TV,” Landgraf writes. “This is reflected in the radically disparate valuations (relative to profits) of traditional media companies versus internet media companies.”

Photo: FX

However, while he praises companies like Netflix and Hulu for their vast libraries, he warns that they may be becoming too big and diverse to have a definite brand. Landgraf points to cable brands such as HBO, Showtime, AMC, STARZ, Nat Geo, FX and even traditional networks like ABC, CBS, and Fox as having an established identities that attracts viewers. “The legacy of these brands will be hard to completely erase, and in many ways, as the streaming ecosystem develops, they actually will get better,” he writes.

So what exactly is Landgraf’s view of TV’s future? It’s far less bleak and far more streaming friendly than you may think. Landgraf imagines a future that’s equally owned by both brands and platforms. However, he doesn’t believe this is a compromise that will be reached anytime soon.

While The Hollywood Reporter column is certainly interesting and worth checking out for anyone interested in TV trends, it should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, Landgraf does represent FX and, as a result, comes from the world of brand television. It’s fair to say his view may be skewed. If you’re looking for a more streaming-friendly answer about the future of television, look no further than Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.

Photo: Netflix

During Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit, Sarandos went after the very term Landgraf is best known for. “The notion of Peak TV is a completely backwards idea, which is that somehow you can have too much of things,” he said. “That’s like having too many choices at the buffet. You’re only going to eat the things you like.”

Sarandos explained that the concept of TV overload is not one that dictates Netflix’s programming choices. “The idea that there’s too much out there is silly, and it’s a very kind of analogue idea of how to make programming choices,” he said.“I don’t know what the limit is. I don’t think we see it yet. We’re not bumping up against it yet — and I don’t think it’s crowding out things.”

Seeing as how Netflix is planning on spending close to $7 billion on content for next year, it’ll be shocking to find where that ceiling is.