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Charter to shut down Spectrum Originals

Kerry Flynn
Aug 12, 2022
Illustration of a collage featuring an old TV, parts of dollar bills, and a TV test pattern.

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

Charter Communications plans to shut down Spectrum Originals, its scripted content division, Deadline reports.

Why it matters: Telecoms are continuing to evolve their businesses as cord-cutting and other streaming services compete for subscribers.

Details: The shutdown comes as Katherine Pope, who launched the original division in 2018, is leaving to become president of Sony Pictures Television Studios.

  • The division's shows included "LA's Finest," starring Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union, and the revival of "Mad About You."
  • When Spectrum Originals launched, YouTube and Facebook also were invested in high-end scripted originals. But both of those companies have stepped back from that expensive endeavor, Deadline notes.

What's next: "[T]he May announcement of Comcast and Charter's joint venture to expand the reach of Flex signals a potential strategic shift for the cable giants to become a dominant aggregator of streaming video, competing against the likes of Roku, Amazon, Samsung and other streaming distribution companies," Deadline's Nellie Andreeva writes.

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