Strictly Business Daily Variety -- Why NBC is Reviving Pilot Season; Breaking Down Luminate's Year-End Streaming Originals Report
Jan 29, 2026
Andrew Wallenstein, Luminate chief media analyst who tracks streaming viewership, previews the year-end streaming originals report. Joe Otterson, Variety TV news editor and development expert, explains NBC’s return to ordering pilots. They dig into why pilot season matters, the rise of procedurals on networks and streamers, and surprising winners like Peacock and YouTube in streaming trends.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Pilot Season Makes A Strategic Return
- NBC has deliberately revived a focused pilot season after COVID and strikes disrupted the old model.
- Pilots let networks test casting, chemistry, and design before committing to full series orders.
Pilots Reduce Development Risk
- Streaming's straight-to-series model led to oversized budgets and risks that pilots help avoid.
- Pilots provide a practical way to iterate, as shown by examples like the Game of Thrones redo.
Focus Pilot Orders For Efficiency
- Use a focused pilot slate rather than the indiscriminate orders of old to improve efficiency.
- NBC's targeted approach reduces wasted orders while retaining pilots' diagnostic value.