Summary
Bosch: Legacy’s abrupt end after its third season is edging closer, and Amazon still haven’t given fans a real reason for canceling it.Bosch: Legacyhas a strong viewership and Harry Bosch’s solo stories have been a mainstay of the streaming platform for over a decade now, so the decision to nix the series has raised eyebrows. However,an answer may have arrived in the form of Amazon’s advertising strategy.
During a panel at CES at C-Space last week, the head of content and brand innovation at Amazon MGM Studios, Lauren Anderson, spoke with Aldis Hodge, the actor and producer ofPrime Video’sCross.The pair discussed the marketing and advertising side of Amazon’s business, and it revealed an interesting insight into Amazon’s prioritieswhen it comes to their scripted dramas.
Amazon Are Focused On Advertising At The Expense Of Creativity And This Could Be Why They Canceled Bosch: Legacy
Aldis Hodge and Lauren Anderson took part in a panel at a Las Vegas convention on Tuesday to discuss Amazon’s advertising and marketing strategy.Hodge spoke about the scripts for Amazon’s new hit,Cross, going through a ‘D. C pass’ in relation to its setting in Washington. One of the producers, who was a native of the capital city, suggested a character be called ‘Slim’ as opposed to ‘dog’ or son. That, in itself, is great: television shows should be authentic to their setting, as this adds to the realism of the project. However, Aldis Hodge’s reaction to this change was rather cynical, and more focused on the money side of things: (Courtesy ofDEADLINE)
That one word generated, I would say, millions of viewership value. So many people commented and said, ‘The moment I heard “Slim” I was in.
Rather than be pleased that his new show was staying true to its origins, Aldis Hodge was more interested in commenting on ‘viewership value’ and how it would play into Amazon’s advertising coffers.Prime Video has been running adverts on their platform for just over a year now, and it seems to be their main focus when deciding which shows and movies they choose to proceed with. This is at the expense of creativity, and it’s a sign of where things are going. It’s no coincidence thatAmazon recently shut down Freevee, their ad-based offshoot which also happens to bethe home ofBosch: Legacy. Amazon have got their viewers under their thumb now with adverts running on the main platform, so why would they need Freevee? And in their twisted minds, why would they needBosch: Legacy?
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Bosch: Legacy Is A High Quality Show But It Clearly Doesn’t Fit In With Amazon’s Future Advertising Strategy
The Hollywood industry cannot expect to sleepwalk into the next golden generation of television. The fans are smart, and they won’t put up with what is currently being served as ‘entertainment’.Bosch: Legacyis an authentic crime show, and it certainly isn’t designed to be a commercial. This is the future:Amazon will bombard shows with product placement, and use their advertising breaks to sell, sell, sell. ‘Don’t look too deeply at the quality of the content, just buy the products on show’ is their mantra.Bosch: Legacyis not a product: it’s a multi-layered crime story that was looking to expand into a saga, with the introduction of theRenee Ballard spin-offalongside it. If Amazon were smart, they would see that the Bosch-verse is actually a franchise opportunity for them, while also serving the audience with a high quality series of shows.
