Pivot had launched in 2013 as a cable network that would represent Participant’s intention to create entertainment that inspires and leads to social change.
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LA-based TV and film production studio Participant Media is winding down its millennial-facing cable television network Pivot as part of an overall re-evaluation of its business.
The network also commissioned original shows such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s magazine series HitRecord on TV, with Cineflix shopping them internationally as the result of a deal struck previous year.
Though adults 18-34 do use other media, they’re increasingly devoting their time to all things D, and gaining traction with them through traditional media is hard if not impossible.
Participant’s decision to pull the plug on the show comes after the media company tapped a new CEO (David Linde) in late 2015. But it bowed just as the skinny bundle was becoming a thing – smaller cable packages that cut the fat, which includes tiny networks such as Pivot, which don’t have the name recognition for people to demand on their own.
They said those factors has driven up the cost of programming and they have seen the “continued migration by consumers and advertisers toward online video and away from traditional linear video”. “There has never been a better time to be a creator of great content”, said Linde. “This very talented group’s commitment to our broader mission has been absolute, and we are very grateful for their significant contributions to the organization”.
Come fall, the channel will go dark, and Participant will either move programs to its digital platform or sell them off to other networks, Variety reports. “By focusing squarely in that direction, Participant is positioning itself to take advantage of these trends”.
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Participant also produced the reigning best-picture Oscar victor, Spotlight as well as the 2006 feature-documentary victor An Inconvenient Truth.
