NBC Considering Cutting Third Hour of Primetime From Lineup

It seems that some big changes are in store for NBC‘s programming slate as a report from the Wall Street Journal suggests they could be cutting the 10/9c hour from their lineup, offering the space to affiliates instead.

The report clarifies that nothing is official yet as the matter hasn’t been discussed with NBC’s affiliate board yet. The change would shrink NBC’s existing primetime lineup to just seven hours per week for most of the year, although it wouldn’t hold any weight over the Sunday Night Football lineup.

(Credit: Todd Owyoung/NBC)

The potential shift would allow the network to save money amid declining broadcast ratings as several media companies, including NBCUniversal, explore the streaming realm with their platforms like Peacock. For now, the 10/9c hour for the 2022-2023 schedule is locked in, leaving the earliest possibility of this change to happen in the fall of 2023.

Should a formal proposition be made by NBC to its affiliates, the 10/9c hour could be filled with syndicated or local news programming. While NBC didn’t comment on the WSJ‘s report, they did provide a comment to The Hollywood Reporter.

It reads: “We are always looking at strategies to ensure that our broadcast business remains as strong as possible. As a company, our advantage lies in our ability to provide audiences with the content they love across broadcast, cable, and streaming.”

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Up until now, NBC has followed the three hours of primetime model held by its fellow broadcasters ABC and CBS. Should NBC follow through with the change, its primetime presence would align with broadcasters like Fox and The CW which mostly only feature two hours of programming nightly.

With these changes, it could mean time shifts are on the horizon for NBC’s late-night lineup with shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Seth Meyers, and even Saturday Night Live. Stay tuned for more details on whether the change will become a reality and let us know your thoughts in the comments, below.