NBC is considering turning-over its prime time 10pm slot to local TV stations in a bid to slash costs as the network continues to prioritize its streaming service.
The switch could take place in 2023, according to Variety, and would spell an end to a timeslot which has played host to iconic shows including ER and slot88 Miami Vice - and during which favorites including Law & Order and Dateline are still shown.
Handing 10pm over to local stations, has been mooted previously, but NBC appears to be taking the proposition more seriously as it pumps cash into its streaming service, Peacock.
The company has yet to make a decision and hasn't even spoken to it's affiliate board about it yet, which represents NBC's affiliated television stations across the US.
The slot is currently occupied by scripted dramas such as New Amsterdam, Chicago PD, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and the new Quantum Leap reboot.
NBC is discussing axing its 10-11 p.m.
timeslot and handing it back to local television affiliates, though it currently airs shows such as Law and Order
ER also once occupied the slot starting in 1994, and gave the world its first real look at Hollywood star George Clooney
Miami Vice, starring Don Johnson (left) and Philip Michael Thomas (right) occupied NBC's 10pm slot between 1984 and 1990
Dateline, whose host Keith Morrison is pictured, continues to sit in the coveted 10pm spot - but that could soon change
There are currently no reports of those shows being cancelled, and they could be moved to earlier in the evening to free up the primetime spot, or put on Peacock.
The decision is reportedly for cost-cutting purposes, as axing the slot could free up tens of millions of dollars for NBC in content costs, which continue to rise.
The move could also have consequences for NBC's famed talk shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Fallon's show may be moved from 11:30 p.m.
to an earlier time like 11 or 10:30 p.m. to compete with rivals such as Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert.
A spokesperson for the network said ‘We are always looking at strategies to ensure that our broadcast business remains as strong as possible.
As a company, our advantage lies in our ability to provide audiences with the content they love across broadcast, cable and streaming.'
Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, is said to be leading the discussions that may lead to handing over the slot by 2023
Jimmy Fallon's show may be moved from 11:30 p.m.
to an earlier time like 11 or 10:30 p.m. to compete with rivals such as Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert
The shift has also been felt internally, as NBC reinforces its streaming service Peacock as streaming continues to bring in large audiences
While networks like NBC, ABC and CBS have historically dedicated 3 hours a night to their own programs, network television's popularity has dwindled in recent years, forcing executives to adapt.
Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, is said to be leading the discussions surrounding the time slots.
Lazarus also recently reduced the hours of late night NBC programs, axing the 1:30 a.m.
to 2 a.m. time slot and giving that time back to affiliates.
Networks once got much of their advertising revenue from primetime segments, but advertisers have flocked to streaming sites like Hulu and HBO Max.
The shift has also been felt internally, as NBC reinforces its streaming service Peacock and ABC and CBS have Disney+ and Paramount+ respectively.
Much of the competition first came from cable, but the networks are now facing seemingly insurmountable opposition from streaming services which continue to nab audiences.
Local stations have occupied the time slots that the networks don't filling it with their own programming, news segments and talk shows.
These stations would likely welcome the additional airtime as it translates to ad revenue.