26/27 Upfront: Broadcast Series Average Age On Air Triples Since 96/97

BusinessMedia26/27 Upfront: Broadcast Series Average Age On Air Triples Since 96/97ByTed Linhart,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Ted Linhart is an expert in TV performance data.Follow AuthorMay 17, 2026, 09:38pm EDTFred Silverman, as head of CBS programming in 1973, with his programming board when schedules really mattered.CBS via Getty ImagesThis past week was “upfront week” in New York when the broadcast networks unveiled their new schedules, announced all their new shows and cancellations, and surprised the vast television public with what’s to come. Well, that’s what used to happen. Upfront week was formerly very important to TV fans, but that import has evaporated. Today, pure play streamers and tech companies play a larg role, most programming news comes out well before the second week of May, and, for broadcasters, the upfront is now only a way to show advertisers they are still relevant. Nevertheless, the programming on NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox still really matters. Streaming originals have almost zero asset value, meaning years from now viewers will not rewatch even the most popular SVOD series of the mid 2020s, such as Wednesday, Landman, Stranger Things, or Only Murders in the Building, over and over as they still do with Seinfeld, Law & Order, NCIS, or Blue Bloods. The dramas and comedies of Fall 2026 that will be aired by the big four networks will have a much better chance of being popular reruns in 2036 or 2046 than anything made for Netflix.A key reason for this is that many of the TV seasons being made for the broadcasters are of existing, proven series which have been on the air long enough to enter the syndication marketplace and perform well on liner and/or streaming.On average, the broadcast entertainment series in the upcoming TV season will be nine years old. This is three times older than thirty years ago, in the 1996/97 season, when the average was just three years. MORE FOR YOUThe reason f...